US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to unequivocally condemn the “unconscionable” Pahalgam terror attack and act to defuse increasing tensions with India, the US State Department said on Thursday.
In a recap of the call, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce reported that Rubio also urged Pakistan to work with investigation attempts into the attack and reopen direct diplomatic communications with India. “Both leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to holding terrorists accountable for their heinous acts,” Bruce further added.
The diplomatic initiative comes after the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 individuals, including mostly tourists, and injured several others. The attack has triggered a sharp decline in India-Pakistan relations.
Following the Pahalgam incident, India has witnessed a rising tide of ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC). Indian security forces have accelerated counter-terror operations in the Kashmir Valley, along with a reaction to cross-LoC firing in Kupwara, Poonch, Tutmari Gali, and Rampur sectors.
India has been taking a series of retaliatory steps, such as suspending the Indus Water Treaty, stopping operations at the Attari Integrated Check Post, closing Pakistani airspace access, and lowering diplomatic representation in both nations.
After the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that India would pursue and punish all of them. “India will pursue terrorists and their backers to the ends of the Earth. Terrorism will not go unpunished,” he said.
A day later, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) convened to discuss the scenario. Officials apprised the CCS of cross-border connections between the attackers, pointing out that the attack was during successful Jammu and Kashmir elections and along its trajectory of economic recovery.
The US call for restraint and responsibility comes against a backdrop of increasing international unease regarding South Asian stability.
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