President of the United States Barack Obama said on Sunday that Pakistan “can and must” take more effective action against terrorist groups operating there. It can do so by “delegitimising, disrupting and dismantling” terror outfits, Obama added. Referring to the 2014 school massacre in Peshawar, he said, “Since then, we have seen Pakistan take action against several specific groups. We have also seen continued terrorism inside Pakistan, such as the recent attack on the university in northwest Pakistan.”

In an interview with PTI, Obama also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for appealing to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after the Pathankot attacks, extending his condolences to the victims’ families.

While answering an array of questions, ranging from Indo-US relations and terrorism to the climate change talks in Paris, Obama said Indo-US relations can be one of the “defining partnerships of this century”. Both countries are working towards expanding economic partnerships that can help bring down poverty, create opportunities, boost bilateral trade, expand hi-tech collaborations and increase students exchanges, he added.