(CBS) Written for CBSNews.com by Farhan Bokhari, reporting from Islamabad.

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A senior U.S. official on Wednesday renewed warnings of the danger posed by al Qaeda to the security of the United States, the Western world, Pakistan and Afghanistan, in a message pointed at Pakistani leaders.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, ending a three day visit to Islamabad, told a news conference: “Al Qaeda is very, very dangerous. It remains a grave threat to the United States, to the western world and also to Pakistan and Afghanistan. We (the U.S.) are not the only target. We are all going to have to deal with this.”

Boucher’s visit coincided with a much publicized Pakistani military campaign at targets belonging to pro-Taliban Islamic groups around Peshawar, the key northern city close to the Afghan border.

The campaign has been publicized by Pakistani authorities as evidence of their commitment to fight terrorist groups - a promise in contrast to claims from western diplomats who say that Pakistan could further intensify its efforts.

For the past five years, Pakistani military troops have been stationed across what is known as the tribal areas - a semi autonomous region along the Afghan border. U.S. officials have said the tribal region has become a haven for militants including those belonging to al Qaeda.

"Unfortunately they (al Qaeda) still retain a certain ability to operate in the tribal areas. They have friends that are (in) Pakistan and (among) Afghans to help them” said Boucher, adding that “some of these people (among Islamic militants) are very hardcore, very dangerous and we have to fight them."

Boucher also used the occasion to urge Pakistani leaders to stop internal squabbling over the future of President Pervez Musharraf and concentrate other pressing problems, notably security conditions linked to Islamic militancy and soaring food prices as well as the fallout from fuel prices.

Musharraf has been the president of Pakistan for the past nine years since he seized power in a bloodless military coup. He has remained a close ally of the United States since he turned his back on Afghanistan’s former Taliban regime and joined the coalition against terror right after the New York terrorist attacks.

Musharraf has become increasingly isolated since politicians loyal to him were defeated in national parliamentary elections in February this year. But critics of the new government believe that politicians such as Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister and a leader of the new ruling coalition, have spent too much time focusing on Musharraf’s political fate.

“Frankly, President Musharraf is not the issue right now. This is not the problem that Pakistan faces right now” said Boucher. “The problem Pakistani people face is the danger of bombings, suicide bombers, rising food prices. There are energy difficulties” he said.

Pakistan’s new financial year which began on Tuesday saw prices of natural gas rise by up to a staggering 31 per cent, in addition to price increases of different types of fuels such as petrol, diesel and kerosene oil.

Pakistan, like other developing countries, suffers from the fallout of historically high global oil prices. But western diplomats warn, the country’s failure to tackle this issue could lead to angry street riots which in the extreme may bring down the country's ruling structure.

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Farhan Bokhari has been covering Southeast Asia for several large European news organizations for 16 years. Based in Islamabad, he focuses his coverage on politics and security issues surrounding the war against terrorism.

By Farhan Bokhari
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