WASHINGTON: Top US generals told a congressional panel on Thursday that restricting military aid to Pakistan could hurt critical US interests.

In their statements before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the generals also acknowledged that US and Pakistani militaries have worked closely since last year against the terrorists operating along the Pak-Afghan border.

They also advised Pakistan to take a decisive action against the Haqqani Network if it could not dissuade them from crossing into Afghanistan.

Gen Joseph L. Votel, nominee of the Commander of US Central Command, and Lt Gen Raymond Thomas, nominee for US Special Operations Command, appeared twice before the committee this week for their confirmation hearings.Responding to suggestions from US lawmakers that the United States should restrict its military aid to Pakistan, Gen Votel said: `The risks of ineffective and unclear signals and conditioning may risk us losing our access and frank dialogue to Pakistan in areas critical to US interests.

The present Commander of US Central Command Gen Lloyd J Austin told the committee on Wednesday that the `Pakistanis are uniquely positioned to counter the HQN, which remains the greatest threat to our forces and to stability in Afghanistan longterm.

He acknowledged that the United States was `encouraged by some signs from Kabul and Islamabad that point towards a renewed effort at improving (their) relations`.

Pakistan, he said, was also supporting the reconciliation process in Afghanistan.

`The Pakistan military contin-ues to play a visible role in efforts to reduce safe havens in Fata ... while at the same time actively countering militant groups, including Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and the newly-emerged ISIL-KP,` he said.

But `we need Pakistan to take decisive action against the Haqqani Network,` he added.

Gen Votel told the committee that Pakistan had `a way of communicating to the Haqqani, and a way of highlighting to them the disruptive role` they were playing in Afghanistan.

`So I think the first thing we need to do is leverage their innuence with that particular organisation to prevent them from having those particular facts,` he added.

`If that does not work they must conduct security operations to contain them and keep them from coming across the border and having an impact in Afghanistan, he said.