US seeks to stop Pak-India tensions spiral into wider conflict
VP Vance says he is worried about any time a hot spot is breaking out: State Department asks Islamabad and Delhi to work for long-term peace
US Vice-President JD Vance has said that the US was working to ensure tensions between Pakistan and India don’t escalate into a broader regional conflict in the wake of an attack last week that killed dozens of people in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
In a podcast interview with Bret Baeir of Fox News, Vance said “I’m worried about any time you see a hot spot breaking out, especially between two nuclear powers.”
Vance said the US has been in close contact with officials in India and Pakistan. “Our hope here is that India responds to this attack in a way that doesn’t lead to a broader regional conflict,” Vance said, adding the US wants to see Pakistan cooperate as much as possible with India “to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with top officials from India and Pakistan on Wednesday, asking them to “maintain peace and security in South Asia.” He told Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, of the need to condemn the attack and re-establish direct communications, according to a statement from the State Department.
US asks Pakistan and India to work for long-term peace
The United States has called upon both Pakistan and India to pursue “a responsible solution” to ease rising tensions in South Asia, following the recent attack on tourists in Pahalgam.
At her daily press briefing in Washington on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
To a question about the calls made on Wednesday by Secretary Rubio to his Indian counterpart and the prime minister of Pakistan, Spokesperson of the State Department Tammy Bruce said: "Secretary Rubio urged both countries to work towards a responsible resolution that maintains long-term peace and regional stability in South Asia. We continue to be in touch with the governments of both countries at multiple levels.’’
“The President [Donald Trump] articulated to Prime Minister Modi last week, the United States stands strong with India against terrorism, and Prime Minister Modi has our full support,” Bruce said and added “We continue to be in touch with the governments of both countries, as I mentioned, at multiple levels. And that’s what I have for you, in the sense of the general overview after those phone calls.”
During the call, Prime Minister Sharif conveyed Pakistan’s perspective on recent developments in South Asia following the Pahalgam incident. He strongly rejected India’s attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam incident and called for a transparent, credible, and impartial investigation into the matter.
India blamed Pakistan for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 men. Pakistan denies responsibility and called for a neutral probe.
After the attack, India suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty that regulates water-sharing from the Indus River and its tributaries, and Pakistan closed airspace to Indian airlines.