US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has arrived in Pakistan on a hastily arranged visit aimed at defusing tensions with India after the Mumbai militant attacks.

condolezza rice visit pakistan after mumbai terror attack 041208 03 Rice came from India, where she was told by Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee that India was considering all options in dealing with Pakistan after the assault, which left nearly 200 dead.

The United States is particularly concerned about any military stand-off with India that might see Pakistan move troops from its western border with Afghanistan - a crucial battleground in the US-led "war on terror."

"I am going there to talk about the Pakistani response," Rice told reporters on her way to Islamabad, denying that she was bringing any message from India after her one-day visit there.

Pakistan has suggested a joint investigation into the brazen attack but has demanded proof that all the attackers, including the sole gunman who was captured alive, were Pakistanis.

Mukherjee said on Wednesday there was "no doubt" that the militants had come from Pakistan and were coordinated from Pakistan.

"What action will be taken by the government will depend on the response we have from the Pakistan authorities," he said, referring to India's demand that Pakistan hand over 20 terrorist suspects.

"Whatever the government considers necessary to protect its territorial integrity, safety and security of its citizens, the government will do that," he said.

condolezza rice visit pakistan after mumbai terror attack 041208 05 The attacks in India's economic capital - which began last Wednesday and lasted 60 hours - were carried out by 10 gunmen, some of who arrived by boat.

Officials say the attacker captured alive has admitted to being a Pakistani from Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist group based across the border and sometimes suspected of links with Pakistan's intelligence agencies.

The targets included two luxury hotels , a Jewish centre, a popular cafe, a packed railway station and a hospital. The official toll of victims stands at 188 dead -- among them 22 foreign nationals -- and more than 300 wounded.

Although Rice said she refused to "jump to any conclusions about who is responsible," US intelligence officials have supported India's accusations.

"Pakistan needs to act with urgency and with resolve and cooperate fully and transparently," Rice said during her one-day visit to India.

"The response of the Pakistan government should be one of cooperation and action. That is what we expect and we have been sending that message," she said.

Ties badly strained by attacks

Ties between India and Pakistan have been badly strained by the attacks, with New Delhi reportedly considering suspending the ongoing peace process.

condolezza rice visit pakistan after mumbai terror attack 041208 04 The two countries have fought three wars since their 1947 independence from British rule, and both have nuclear weapons.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, travelled in the opposite direction to Rice, arriving in India for talks on Thursday after visiting Pakistan.

He urged Pakistani leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari, "to investigate aggressively any and all possible ties to groups based in Pakistan," the US embassy said in a statement.

Rice and Mullen had a breakfast meeting at the US ambassador's residence in New Delhi before she left for Islamabad, diplomats said.

India remains on high alert a week after the attacks, with Indian police on Wednesday discovering and defusing more explosives left behind by the highly trained gunmen at Mumbai's main railway station.

- AFP