Urge Pak to take sustained, irreversible action against terror groups: US

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Pakistan has taken some "important" steps against terror groups post Pulwama attack but they are still reversible, a top US official said Wednesday, urging the Pakistani leadership to take sustained actions against terrorists operating in the country.

Terrorist organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) will continue to pose a grave risk to international peace as long as they are able to operate freely in Pakistan, Alice G Wells, senior state department official for South and Central Asian Affairs told House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee for Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation.

"On the broader issue of counter-terrorism, the Pulwama terrorist attack in February that sparked a crisis between India and Pakistan underscored the importance and immediate need to halt terrorist activity in the region," she said in a prepared statement.

The sub-committee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing US Interests in South Asia and the FY 2020 Budget on Thursday.

"We continue to urge Pakistan's leaders to make good on their pledges to take sustained and irreversible actions against terrorist groups operating within the country's borders, which is necessary for the long-term stability and prosperity of the region, she said.

In recent months, we have seen Pakistan detain some militants and seize assets belonging to front organisations raising funds for terrorist groups. While these steps are important, they are still reversible, she told the lawmakers.


 She asserting that Pakistan must sustain these measures and expand upon them, including by prosecuting terrorist leaders.