Howard, whose country has given 10.4 million dollars since the October 8 disaster, gave the hint as he held talks in Islamabad with President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

"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 after meeting Aziz.

He is due on Wednesday to visit the devastated city of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, and other parts of northern Pakistan hit by the 7.6-magnitude quake.

"When Prime Minister Howard visits Muzaffarabad along with President Musharraf he is going to enhance the Australian assistance by around 50 million dollars," one senior diplomatic source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Musharraf -- like Howard a key ally in the US-led "war on terror" -- thanked Australia for its help since the earthquake and briefed the Australian leader on relief and reconstruction efforts.

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

The earthquake killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistan and 1,300 in India, seriously injured about the same number and left three million others homeless.

Meanwhile Howard praised Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism, as he and Aziz 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."

Howard also called on Pakistan and India to find a peaceful solution to their dispute over the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir through dialogue.

Recent engagements between the leaders of the South Asian rivals, who began a peace process in early 2004, were "encouraging", he added.

Pakistan and India opened crossing points on the frontier splitting Kashmir in the aftermath of the quake -- the latest in a string of confidence-building measures.

Australia is also offering scholarships for 500 Pakistani students while the other agreements were aimed at enhancing cooperation in 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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