"Part of my mission today was to determine whether or not the president is as committed as he has been in the past to bringing these terrorists to justice, and he is, " Bush said at a joint news conference with Musharraf in Islamabad.

"He understands the stakes, he understands the responsibility and he understands the need to make sure our strategy is able to defeat the enemy."

Bush said the main concerns were making sure that "actionable" intelligence is shared on a real-time basis between the two countries, and that Pakistan has the equipment and resources to move on terrorists and their hideouts.

Two days after an American diplomat was killed in a suicide car-bombing at a US consulate in the southern city of Karachi, a hotbed of Islamic militancy, Bush promised that neither country would "back down in the face of these killers. . . We will win this war together".

Musharraf reaffirmed his support for Washington in the US-led war on terrorism. "It's very clear that the intentions of Pakistan and my intentions are absolutely clear, that we have a strategic partnership on the issue of fighting terrorism, " Musharraf said. "If there are slippages, it is in the implementation part. We are moving forward toward delivering and we will succeed."

Bush mixed praise with gentle prods on the need for more democratic reforms in Pakistan. Musharraf seized power seven years ago in a bloodless coup and has reneged on a promise to relinquish his military post.

Bush said he appreciated hearing Musharraf 's plans to spread freedom, but he also noted the need for elections next year to be "open and honest. . . President Musharraf envisions a moderate state that provides an alternative to radicalism. I believe democracy is Pakistan's future. We share a strong commitment to democracy."

Musharraf gave a lengthy defence of his record on the topic, while arguing for his right to retain his military uniform. "We have introduced the essence of democracy now in Pakistan, " Musharraf said.

He said women and minorities have been empowered with a say in Pakistan's political life and "we have liberated the media and the press".

The Pakistani government says it has arrested about 700 al-Qaeda suspects in the past four years. Even so, leaders are still thought to be at large within its borders, possibly including Osama bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding in the porous border area of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Continuing the heavy security that greeted him on his arrival from India on Friday night, Bush's motorcade was protected by three helicopters that circled overhead as he rode from the heavily fortified US embassy compound, where he spent the night, to see Musharraf.

Anti-American sentiment runs deep in Pakistan, and protests by thousands flared in cities across the country ahead of Bush's visit.