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By Patricia Zengerle
ISLAMABAD, Jan 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will pressure Pakistan to intensify its crackdown on militants in talks on Wednesday with Pakistan's leadership, but will tread carefully to avoid further straining ties.
Biden arrived in Islamabad after two days in Kabul, where he said on Tuesday that Pakistan needed to do more to help the United States in its battle against Taliban and other militants in Afghanistan as it prepares to withdraw its troops from there.
"It's going to require more pressure -- more pressure on the Taliban, from Pakistan's side of the border, than we've been -- we've been able to exert so far. And there are many hard days that lie ahead," Biden said at a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Pakistan's tribal areas along the Afghan border are believed to harbour senior militants from al Qaeda and the Taliban, as well as a form a training ground for insurgents who cross over the porous frontier. Pakistan's military has launched several offensives in the area, but has said it does not have the capacity to do more.
President Barack Obama and other top U.S. officials have criticized Pakistan for not doing enough to curb militants within its borders who attack U.S.-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
The U.S.-Pakistan relationship has been strained recently with Pakistan complaining that Washington does not provide adequate support and does not understand its security needs.
U.S. aid to Pakistan is expected to be about ${esc.dollar}3 billion this year, but Pakistan has complained that money has been slow to arrive and that requested military equipment has not been sent.
Biden will also meet with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and Pakistan's military chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, an aide travelling with Biden said, to get more information about Pakistan's long-term strategy for the region and what help Islamabad needs.
He will reiterated the United States' support for Pakistan's government as Zardari grapples with political turmoil and internal threats.
The Obama administration is expected to offer Pakistan more military, intelligence and economic support, the Washington Post reported last week.
Zardari will be in the United States for a memorial service on Jan. 14 for Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the veteran U.S. diplomat who was Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As the war in Afghanistan drags on toward the 10-year mark, violence has been at its worst since U.S.-backed Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban in late 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. (Additional reporting by Kamran Haider, Zeeshan Haider and Augustine Anthony in Islamabad; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Miral Fahmy)
(For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan)
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