Sharif himself confirmed this to reporters outside the White House saying Pakistan has received reports that India is making preparations (for more tests) but ``but I hope they will not do it.' It will further aggravate the situation in South Asia,'' he added.

US officials however did not appear to take Sharif's alarm too seriously.``India has stated that it has imposed a unilateral moratorium on any further nuclear testing. We believe that they are acting consistent with that pledge,'' Assistant Secretary of State Rick Inderfurth said.

His NSC colleague Bruce Riedel said the US has made it abundantly clear to the Government of India and the Government of Pakistan that it would oppose additional tests. Rumours have been flying in the Pakistani press for some days now that India is planning more tests, partlybecause its thermonuclear tests were deemed a failure.

Asked about the US assessment in this regard, Riedel said he was not going to ``comment on the results of our own analysis and the intelligence that goes into that analysis about these tests.''

Pakistan has previously complained that Washington ignored its warning about India's nuclear tests in May. Sharif had written a letter to Clinton in April with a general warning about the possibility of Indian tests.

The inability of US intelligence to anticipate the tests, a subject of great embarrassment to the administration, is something the media still piques officials with. An exchange between CBS anchorman Sam Donaldson and Assistant Secretary Rick Inderfurth.

Donaldson: Are you satisfied that this time, if India does plan another test, our intelligence service will in fact know it in advance? Inderfurth: Yes. Donaldson: As opposed to last time? Inderfurth: Yes. Inderfurth also repeated the administration's belief that neither country has deployednuclear-capable missiles or aircraft following the May tests. ``We believe that both countries are looking very closely at what next steps they may or may not take. We are urging, clearly, restraint. That is part of the benchmarks that... Secretary Talbott has been pursuing now in seven rounds of discussions with both Indian and Pakistani envoys,'' he said.