WASHINGTON: US National Security Advisor Susan Rice on Wednesday called her Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and told him that the White House expects Pakistan to take "effective action to combat and de-legitimize" UN-designated terrorist groups.
"Highlighting the danger that cross-border terrorism poses to the region, Ambassador Rice reiterated our expectation that Pakistan take effective action to combat and de-legitimize United Nations-designated terrorist individuals and entities, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, and their affiliates," Ned Price, the spokesperson of National Security Council, said in a statement.
Ms Rice, speaking to Mr. Doval on the phone, strongly condemned the September 18 terror attack on an army base in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri by terrorists who allegedly crossed over from Pakistan.
The top US security official affirmed President Obama's commitment to "redouble our efforts to bring to justice to the perpetrators of terrorism throughout the world," Mr. Price said.
"Ambassador Rice discussed our shared commitment with India to pursue regional peace and stability and pledged to deepen collaboration on counter-terrorism matters including on UN terrorist designations," Mr. Price added.
Meanwhile US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter has termed India "a responsible nuclear state", saying Pakistan's "history of nuclear weapons is entangled in tensions" and that the US was working with Islamabad to ensure stability.
"The landscape of nuclear weapons has changed in the last 25 years," Carter said on Tuesday at a conference on 'Sustaining Nuclear Deterrence' at the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, US.
Carter said while the US had not done much to boost Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, other countries had. He however, praised India for showing responsible behaviour with its nuclear technology.
Talking about China, he said Beijing "conducts itself professionally in the nuclear arena, despite growing its arsenal in both quality and quantity".