Anti-American sentiment runs deep in this Islamic nation, and the threat of terrorist attacks is ever-present. A day before Bush's visit, an American diplomat was killed in a suicide car-bombing at the US Consulate in the southern city of Karachi, a hotbed of Islamic militancy.
Bush is to spend all day today in Islamabad, conferring with President General Pervez Musharraf, meeting with business leaders, attending a state dinner, and even watching a cricket match -- a passion of Pakistanis.
Hoping to boost the US image among Muslims, Bush planned to call attention to American contributions to Pakistan after an earthquake in October.
Bush said he would talk with Musharraf about Pakistan's ''vital cooperation in the war on terror and our efforts to foster economic and political development so we can reduce the appeal of radical Islam."
In a farewell speech in New Delhi, Bush ran into trouble when he praised Pakistan as ''a force for freedom and moderation in the Arab world." The White House hastened to correct Bush's reference to Pakistan as an Arab nation, and said he meant to say Muslim.
There were anti-American protests in cities and towns across Pakistan, with crowds burning American flags and chanting, ''Death to Bush." About 1,000 stone-throwing people tried to march on the US Consulate in Karachi; police used tear gas and batons to stop them.
While many people in the nation view the United States with mistrust, Pakistan has been an important US ally in the Muslim world.
The Pakistani government said it has arrested about 700 Al Qaeda suspects in the past four years, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed, coordinator of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Even so, key terror leaders are still thought to be at large within its borders.
Musharraf seized power seven years ago in a bloodless coup and has reneged on a promise to relinquish his military post. But he endeared himself to Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks when he switched Pakistan's allegiance from the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and supported Washington in the US-led war against its rulers.
Bush has promised to talk with Musharraf about the need for more democratic reforms. In his speech in New Delhi, Bush extolled India's embrace of democracy and said it was the path all nations should follow.
''If justice is the goal, then democracy is the way," Bush said.
Pakistan has been roiled by anti-Western protests against the Prophet Mohammed cartoons. The violence has left at least five people dead. Bush has called on governments to stop violent demonstrations, and has urged the media to use restraint with material that might be considered offensive.
Pakistanis also were enraged by a US missile strike in January targeting Al Qaeda's number two leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, who was believed to be attending a dinner party at a village in a northwestern region near the Afghan border. Zawahri apparently wasn't there, and the missile killed 13 residents, including women and children.
