We146;re ready to send troops inside Pak if asked: US

The top Pentagon official said Pakistan has not requested any additional assistance as it battles an increasingly active insurgency, adding the US will respect the Musharraf government8217;s decision on how to tackle the problem.

8220;We8217;re not aware of any proposals that the Pakistanis have made to us at this point. At this point it8217;s their nickel, and we await proposals or suggestions from them,8221; the Defence Secretary said.

8220;I think that the emergence of this fairly considerable security challenge in Pakistan has really been brought home to the Pakistani government relatively recently and particularly with the tragic assassination of Mrs. Bhutto. So I think it8217;s not particularly surprising that they have not fully thought through exactly how they intend to proceed and their strategy going forward. I expect that that will happen,8221; Gates added.

The top US commander in the region, Admiral William Fallon, was in Pakistan this week meeting with senior Pakistani officials, including the new army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani. Admiral Fallon had said that Pakistani officials were now more willing to seek US assistance.