- Wednesday, April 30, 2025
The US secretary of state’s focus on diplomacy comes after prime minister Narendra Modi said the army would enjoy “operational freedom” to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack
By: India Weekly
AMID rising tensions between India and Pakistan after a deadly terror attack in a tourist hot spot of Pahalgam in Kashmir last week, US secretary of state Marco Rubio plans to hold talks with his Indian and Pakistani counterparts.
“We are reaching out to both parties and telling, of course, them to not escalate the situation,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters in Washington.
“The secretary expects to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India as early as today or tomorrow,” she said.
“He is encouraging other national leaders, other foreign ministers, to also reach out to the countries on this issue,” she said.
Responding to a question on Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif’s comments that Pakistan has “been doing this dirty work for United States”, Bruce added “the only thing I’m really prepared to discuss here is the fact that the Secretary of State is going to be speaking with the foreign ministers of both countries.”
“What I can tell you – obviously, we’re also monitoring the developments across the board in that region, and we – as you know, at multiple levels, I have to say – are in touch with the governments of India and Pakistan… The world is watching this. But I have no additional details in that regard.”
The United States, which has close ties with India, initially had voiced solidarity after the April 22 attack in which terrorists killed 26 men in the picturesque meadow Pahalgam.
Rubio’s focus on diplomacy comes after India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said the army would enjoy “operational freedom” to respond to the attack.
India accuses Pakistan of backing the attack, which the latter has denied.
Modi on Tuesday (29) held a closed-door meeting with army and security chiefs, during which he granted “complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response to the terror attack”, said a government source not authorized to speak to the media.
Indian army claims it had repeatedly traded gunfire with Pakistani troops across the Line of Control (LoC).
They claim that Pakistan army have been carrying out unprovoked small arms firing for the fifth night in a row, and they have responded in a ‘measured and effective manner’. There were no reports of casualties.
Last week, Modi vowed to pursue those who carried out the attack in Pahalgam and those who had supported it.
“I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,” he said on Thursday.
“We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth”.
Pakistan’s claim
Pakistan on Wednesday (30) claimed it has “credible intelligence” that India is planning military action against it in the next 24-36 hours and warned New Delhi that there would be consequences.
Information minister Attaullah Tarar said the Indian government is preparing to carry out military action against Pakistan on the basis of “baseless and concocted allegations” regarding Pakistan’s involvement in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
These statements have prompted worries of a rapid spiral into military action, with calls from several nations for restraint.
UN chief Antonio Guterres meanwhile held calls Tuesday (29) with Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in which he “offered his Good Offices to support de-escalation”, his spokesman said.
UK reaction
The UK government has also called for calm and dialogue between India and Pakistan at a time of heightened tensions in the region and the issue was raised in Parliament.
Foreign office minister Hamish Falconer responded to an “Urgent Question” tabled in the House of Commons on Tuesday (29) by Labour MP Gurinder Singh Josan on the role Britain is playing in supporting India in bringing the perpetrators of Pahalgam attack to justice.
He also raised concerns over the regional tensions spilling over onto UK streets in the form of protests, characterized by provocative language and gestures, including “what appears to be a throat-slitting motion by an alleged Pakistan official” and “windows being smashed” at Pakistan’s High Commission in London.
“We are aware of reports of the video that my honourable Friend refers to; the Metropolitan police are investigating, so I will not provide any further commentary on that particular incident, but it is obviously concerning,” he said, with reference to a Pakistani official caught on camera making a threatening gesture towards Indian protesters last week. (Agencies)
