Mattis said that Pakistan has been fighting internal extremist organization with the help of the US.

In a striking contrast to the earlier disposition of US president-elect Donald Trump about Pakistan, his Defense Secretary pick James Mattis said that one of his prime objectives in the first days at the office will be to give Pakistan an ultimatum to expel or neutralize terror organizations in its soil that roam freely within the country, planning and executing terror attacks across the world.

A written submission addressed to the Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing on Thursday, Mattis wrote that the US has a long history of giving security assistance to Pakistan and if his “review” of the efforts made by Pakistan in countering terrorist fails, he will consider “all option.”

“If confirmed, I will work with the State Department and the Congress to incentivise Pakistan’s co-operation on issues critical to our national interests and the region’s security, with a focus on Pakistan’s need to expel or neutralize externally-focused militant groups that operate within its borders,” Mattis said.

Mattis, a retired Marine who served as the commander of US Central Command was answering questions asked by reporters about his take on conditioning US aid to Pakistan.

Speaking to the reporters, Mattis (often called “Mad Dog”) said that Pakistan has learned hard lessons due to the nexus between Afghan Taliban.

“I believe they should do more to collaborate with their neighbor. We should urge Pakistan to take further actions against the Taliban and the Haqqani network,” Mattis said.

A subsidiary of Al Qaida, Haqqani network had been plotting attacks in Afghanistan against the development efforts made by Western countries and India. This includes the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul.

“Sanctuaries and freedom of movement for the Afghan Taliban and associated militant networks inside Pakistani territory is a key operational issue faced by the Afghan security forces. If confirmed, I will examine efforts to deny sanctuary to the extremist forces undermining the stability and security of Afghanistan,” he said, responding to a query.

Indirectly pointing at Pakistan, Mattis said that all countries in the region have a collective role in rebuilding the country that was ravaged by terrorist organizations and he added that efforts should be made to increase pressure on the Afghan Taliban and its affiliates.

By saying that US relationship with Pakistan has seen high and low ends, Mattis hinted at the possibility of taking some extreme stands against Pakistan.

“We have long faced a lack of trust within the Pakistani military and government about our goals in the region. If confirmed, I will work to build the trust that we need for an effective partnership,” he said.

Mattis said that Pakistan has been fighting internal extremist organization with the help of the US.

“In a sign of its commitment, its military has suffered significant casualties in this counterinsurgency effort,” Mattis said, adding that the US has conducted military exercises with Pakistan in an effort to increase trust and interoperability.