New York sources reported that a senior State Department official said President Donald Trump has made it clear to Pakistan that the US expects Islamabad to take steps to end the role of "non-state actors". Meanwhile, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asia Region Alice Wells, briefing reporters on Friday on US priorities in the South and Central Asia Region, cited Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's statement that in his country non-state actors and extremist groups have no role.
Furthermore, when responding to a question on India-Pakistan ties, Wells said there are issues between them that affect regional stability. She said "We acknowledge that and we continue to support any dialogue efforts between the governments that can lead to greater stability and reducing of tensions but at the same time President Trump has made it clear that we do expect and we do have high aspirations for Pakistan to take steps to end the role of non-state actors".
Moreover, when asked if the US will play a role in bringing New Delhi and Islamabad together for a dialogue to resolve their differences, Wells said it is for the countries to decide. She added "America is always willing to play a role that's asked of us by the countries of the region and they have two strategies focused on the region, the South Asia strategy as well as the Indo-Pacific strategy. And both involve strong and close bilateral and regional partnerships".
