The United States wants Pakistan to move quickly to show good faith in supporting efforts to counter militants operating in Afghanistan and in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, the senior US diplomat for South Asia said on Friday.

According to the New York Times, after accompanying US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on a visit to the region, including Pakistan, Alice Wells said Washington looked forward to seeing practical steps from Pakistan "over the next few weeks and months."

"The secretary stressed the importance of Pakistan moving quickly to demonstrate good faith and efforts to use its influence to create the conditions that will get the Taliban to the negotiating table," Wells, the acting assistant secretary of state for South Asia, said.

According to the New York Times, Wells said Pakistan's long-standing relationships with militant organizations was a threat to its own stability and that the Taliban leadership and the Haqqani network still retained the ability to plan and recuperate and reside with their families in Pakistan.

She said Washington wanted Pakistan to show the same commitment it had made to defeat militant groups domestically to those threatening Afghanistan or India.

"It's up to them whether or not they want to work with us," Wells said. "And if they don’t ... then we’ll adjust accordingly."

Earlier in the week, Tillerson called on Pakistan to act against insurgents using the country as safe havens.