The US has urged India and Pakistan to work together to “de-escalate tensions” after a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last week killed 26 civilians, the BBC reports.
India accuses Pakistan of supporting militants behind the 22 April attack at a scenic meadow near the resort town of Pahalgam. Islamabad rejects the allegations.
But, in separate talks with India’s foreign minister and Pakistan’s prime minister on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged both sides to “maintain peace and security in South Asia”.
On Wednesday India also announced the closure of its airspace for all Pakistani aircraft, in the latest of a series of tit-for-tat measures taken by both sides.
As Rubio expressed his sorrow and reaffirmed Washington’s support in India’s fight against terrorism, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar wrote on X that the “perpetrators, backers and planners” of the Pahalgam attack “must be brought to justice”.
The BBC reports that Rubio expressed the need to “condemn the terror attack” in his talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He urged Islamabad to co-operate “in investigating this unconscionable attack”.
Sharif’s office issued a statement saying that, during the call, Sharif rejected “Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident”. The Pakistani prime minister also urged the US to “impress upon India to dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly”.
[Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/24448555911]