A top US official said his nation supports direct dialogue between India and Pakistan.

He said the US believes the two countries should decide the pace, scope and character of the talks.

Speaking to reporters,  State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said: "We value our important relationships with both India and Pakistan. As we have said, we support direct discussions between India and Pakistan, but the pace, scope and character should be determined by those two countries, not by us."

The relationship between India and Pakistan has remained tense over the past several years.

Recently, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif congratulated his Indian counterpart after Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy for the record third straight term.

The Pakistani PM was not reportedly invited to attend Modi's oath-taking ceremony event.

Several key leaders like Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu attended the grand ceremony after they were invited for the event.

In his positive message, former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif urged Modi that the two countries' leadership should replace hate with hope and seize the oppurtunity to shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia.

"My warm felicitations to Modi Ji (@narendramodi) on assuming office for the third time. Your party's success in recent elections reflects the confidence of the people in your leadership. Let us replace hate with hope and seize the oppurtunity to shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia," he said.