Top diplomats of the nuclear-armed rivals are due to meet in New Delhi on Tuesday for the first time since the dialogue was suspended after the train bombings in Mumbai, India's financial hub, that killed 186 people and wounded more than 800.

India blamed Pakistan's military spy agency of masterminding the attack, a charge rejected by Islamabad.

"Terrorism is an important issue because earlier talks were suspended because of the public outrage after Mumbai blasts," Mukherjee told reporters in the Indian capital late Friday.

"I would like that they should stick to (previous) assurances (to check militants) which they have given," Mukherjee said.

The South Asian rivals agreed to set up an anti-terrorism cooperation mechanism when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf on the sidelines of a summit in Cuba in September.

Mukherjee said the two sides would discuss the setting up of the mechanism during the dialogue between Indian foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon and his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan.

A top US official said in New Delhi on Friday that militant outfits responsible for attacks in India had "origins" in Pakistan.

"Many of the links that are talked about go back to their origin and ties in Pakistan," US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher told reporters.

"We all need to work together against terrorism through effective actions so that people in India do not suffer from these blasts," he said.

Analysts said that Boucher's statement would put pressure on Islamabad amid growing international concern over Pakistan's links with militants.