Take action against terrorists without distinction: Pompeo to Pak Army chief General Bajwa

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo called up Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Bajwa and asked him to take action against terrorists "without any distinction".

The US has been constantly pushing the Pakistan government to go after terrorist organizations which it says are on the loose especially the Haqqani Network.

Addressing a press conference state department spokesperson Heather Nauert said: "US-Pakistani bilateral relations, the need for political reconciliation in Afghanistan, and the importance of targeting all militant and terrorist groups in South Asia without distinction."

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General Bajwa had earlier denied the existence of terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan. In fact, the general claimed Pakistan was being attacked from terrorist hideouts on Afghan soil.

The Pakistan general speaking at a conference in Munich in February had said terrorists had established sanctuaries on the Afghan soil along the border with Pakistan.

US-Pakistan relations have hit rock bottom ever since the Trump administration ratcheted up pressure on the government to fight terrorists in the country with President Trump in a series of tweets hitting out at the Pak government for not doing enough to bring terrorism to an end.

Trump later in a tweet categorically said Pakistan was a "safe haven" for terrorists as the US stopped economic aid to Pakistan linking any relief to its progress in bringing terrorism to an end. The Trump administration named the Haqqani Network as a major terrorist organization and told the Pak government and the Army to dismantle it.