Howard indicated that Australia may add to the 10.4 million dollars it has already donated towards victims of the October 8 disaster, which left more than 74,000 people dead and three million homeless.

"Australia has already contributed significantly to the relief and rescue efforts. Tomorrow when I visit those areas I will have something further to say on that issue," Howard told reporters in the capital Islamabad.

The Australian people conveyed their condolences on the "terrible humanitarian consequences of the earthquake," said Howard.

Howard will meet President Pervez Musharraf, a fellow ally in the US-led "war on terror", later on Tuesday.

Howard's visit to Pakistan comes three days after donors attending an earthquake reconstruction conference in Islamabad pledged more than 5.8 billion dollars for the stricken country.

The Australian and Pakistani prime ministers also witnessed the signing of a series of agreements including a memorandum of understanding on combating transnational crimes.

"I express my admiration for the strong support President Musharraf, you as head of the government and the Pakistani people have taken in the fight against terrorism," Howard told Aziz.

The threat of terrorism "is very real, it is very direct, very close and very threatening to your country."

Australia is also offering scholarships for 500 Pakistani students while the other agreements were aimed at enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, mining and agriculture, officials said.

Howard, who was flying in from neighbouring Afghanistan, is the first Australian prime minister to visit Pakistan since 1989. Musharraf made an official trip to Australia in June.

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