'Take sustained, irreversible action against terrorist groups': US to Pakistan

India-Pakistan dialogue onus lies on Pakistan asking the country to take sustained and irreversible actions against terrorist groups, a senior State Department official has said.

Islamabad needs to take constructive, sustained and irreversible steps against terrorist groups as such activities have hijacked a normal dialogue between the two nations, said the US official.

The official has also stated reiterated that US President Donald Trump is prepared for a mediation role if both India and Pakistan agree to it. However, India has already cleared its stand on mediation saying its a bilateral issue.

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Earlier, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice G Wells hit out at Pakistan saying the US is deeply concerned over restrictions imposed on media, civil society, other groups opposing Pakistani government policies.

She also lashed out at Islamabad saying that people in the country continue to face discrimination over faith and human rights abuses.

Speaking at the human rights situation in South Asia, Alice Wells exposed the Pakistani administration mentioning people in the country are serving life sentences on blasphemy charges and even put on death row.

"We continue to impress upon Pakistan the need to take action against groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad which seek to ferment violence across the line of control," she added.

On Tuesday, Wells said that though the US supports New Delhi-Islamabad direct dialogue, however, Pakistan's continued support to terror groups, extremists who indulge in cross-border terrorism is the 'chief obstacle'.

Alice G Wells informed Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that though the US supports a direct dialogue between India and Pakistan according to Simla agreement, however, the main obstacle is Islamabad's support to terrorists who are indulging in cross-border terrorism.

"We believe that direct dialogue between India and Pakistan, as outlined in the 1972 Simla Agreement, holds the most potential for reducing tensions. Restarting a productive bilateral dialogue requires building trust, and the chief obstacle remains Pakistan's continued support for extremist groups that engage in cross-border terrorism," Wells said.