A powerful American Senator, who heads a Congressional panel on US foreign affairs, has said that Pakistan needs to "redouble its effort" to crush the ultras operating from its soil and hoped that India would continue to "exercise restraint" in view of provocations from the terrorists.

Senator John Kerry, Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, speaking at a function to release a report on Pakistan, appreciated the steps taken by Islamabad in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attack but said that the country needs to do more.

Observing the Mumbai attack serves as a reminder of the common threat that extremism poses to regional and global stability, Kerry said he is "encouraged" that Pakistan has arrested the key suspects of the terrorists attack, taken steps to shut down Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its front group Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

Kerry praised the restrain showed by New Delhi following the Mumbai terrorist strikes and hoped that India would continue to "exercise patience and restraint" in the face of the "tolerable provocation" of the terrorists.

The crucial test for Pakistan is going to be the next steps, which needs to be followed, said the Senator, who was recently in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. "Will these arrests be followed up by credible trials? And sentences to commensurate with the crimes?" Kerry asked.

"For the sake of the victims, including six Americans, and for the sake of peace between India and Pakistan I sincerely hope so," Kerry asked.

More than 170 people including six American nationals were killed when 10 Pakistani terrorists entered Mumbai through sea route and went on a shooting spree on November 26.

"Pakistan's government should redouble its ongoing efforts to eliminate terrorist organisations operating on its soil," Kerry said, adding that in the past two days he has met all the visiting Pakistani leaders including the Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Foreign Minister, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and the ISI chief General Ahmed Shuja Pasha.