The United States has pressed Pakistan to do more about the growing threat from Taliban insurgents in its lawless region.

The Taliban has regrouped and revived, benefiting from the safe haven allowed by Pakistan along its border with Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Taliban fighters have mounted several offensives in both countries this year. The attacks in Afghanistan have targeted U.S. and NATO troops.

Washington has asked Pakistan repeatedly to clean up the border area. Initially, there was hope that former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf could see it through. But he has stepped down under impeachment threat and on Monday Pakistan's ruling coalition dissolved.

The Pakistan Muslim League led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif dissolved its six-month partnership Monday with the Pakistan Peoples Party, a longtime rival. The departure will not bring down the government; the coalition still has enough seats to remain in power.

But the split dashed Pakistanis' hopes for the government's two major parties to cooperate in tackling two major problems — an economic crisis and the Taliban.

The two main parties differ on major issues — whether to restore dozens of judges dismissed last year by Mr. Musharraf and over the presidential hopes of Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, widower of the party's assassinated leader, Benazir Bhutto.

Mr. Zardari is the apparent front-runner in a Sept. 6 vote in which provincial and national assemblies will vote for president. But he is tainted by corruption charges incurred during his wife's two terms as prime minister in the 1990s for which he was never convicted.

The country suffers from "high inflation, electricity shortages and the militancy," a retired Pakistani civil servant told USA Today. It will take a stronger government than Pakistan has now to deal with the militants which so concern the United States and NATO.