The US has warned Pakistan that another terror attack on India will prove to be “extremely problematic” as it asked Islamabad to take more “concrete and sustained” actions to rein in terror groups such as JeM and LeT.

Addressing reporters at the White House, a senior administration official said: “We need to see Pakistan taking concrete and sustained action to rein in terrorist groups, mainly the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in order to ensure that we don’t have re-escalation (of tensions) in the region. If there’s any additional terrorist attack without Pakistan having made a sustained, sincere effort against these groups, it would be extremely problematic for Pakistan and it would cause re-escalation of tensions, which is dangerous for both countries.”

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group JeM killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14. India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot.

Asked about the steps being taken by Pakistan in the aftermath of the Balakot air strike, the official said that the US and the international community needed to see “irreversible and sustained” actions against the terror groups. “It’s early to make a full assessment,” he said.

Reiterating that the US is looking for “irreversible action”, he said America is working with its international partners to increase pressure on Pakistan. Observing that Pakistan has economic concerns as well, the official said the Financial Action Tasks Force (FATF) is one area which demonstrates the need for them to take these actions against terror groups. “Otherwise, they are at risk within the system and the FATF to be grey-listed,” the official said.

While the situation has de-escalated, the two armies are still on high alert and that concerns the US, the official said. “So, we realise that if there, god forbid, would be another terrorist attack, you could quickly see the escalation in the situation once again. That’s why, we are making clear that any additional military action by either side runs an unacceptably high risk for both countries and the region,” he said.

During the height of the crisis, the US was in continuous contact with Indian and Pakistani officials, both on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad, he said. “They were working on the phones continuously and were deeply engaged in seeking to de-escalate what was a very dangerous moment in India-Pakistan relations,” he said. The US also reached out to influential countries to have them help de-escalate the situation, the senior administration official said. Some of these countries are China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, the UK, the EU, Japan and Australia.