'Pak hasn't got sufficient credit for help in war on terror'

"I don't think the Pakistanis have, frankly, gotten credit sufficiently for the fact that they were helpful (in getting Osama bin Laden). It was their permissiveness in allowing our people to be there that helped us to be able to tie the knots that focused on that, not exclusively, obviously, but to some degree," Kerry told Senators at his confirmation hearing.

In the first term of the Obama administration, Kerry helped the US in resolving several key issues with Pakistan and has good relationship with top leadership in Islamabad.

When asked about the continued detention of a Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA in tracing bin Laden, Kerry said: "I have talked directly to (Pakistan) President (Asif Ali) Zardari and I've talked directly to (army chief) General (Ashfaq Pervez) Kayani about Dr (Shakil) Afridi.

"And like most Americans, I find it, as you do, incomprehensible if not repugnant that somebody who helped to find Osama bin Laden is in jail in Pakistan."

Arguing in favour of maintaining relationship with Pakistan, Kerry spoke against adopting a "dramatic, draconian, sledgehammer approach" to the ties as "we have our ground line of communications (in Pakistan), which is the military's complicated word for 'roads,' that go to Afghanistan, and that route is critical to our supply of our troops."

"We have in addition to that, had intelligence cooperation. Our folks were able to cooperate on the ground in Pakistan. That's one of the ways we were able to get Osama bin Laden," Kerry said.

Pakistan, he said, has lost some 6,000 people last year in their efforts to go after terrorists.

"They've lost about 30,000 people over the course of the last several years because they've been willing to engage the insurgencies. And so, you know, there are things that the Pakistanis have done, as complicated as the relationship has been," he noted.

"I intend to raise the issue of Dr Afridi with them. I can promise you that. But I am not going to recommend, nor do I think it is wise, for American policy to just cut our assistance (to Pakistan). We need to build our relationship with the Pakistanis, not diminish it," Kerry said in response to a question.

If confirmed by the Senate, Kerry would replace Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State.