‘Pakistan, To Extent Responsible…’: JD Vance Urges Islamabad To Cooperate With Delhi To Hunt Down Terrorists

The United States is hoping that India's response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack will not lead to broader regional conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad, US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday.

What JD Vance Said?

"Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn't lead to a broader regional conflict," Reuters quoted Vance as saying in an interview on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" show.

The US is expecting Islamabad to cooperate with India to hunt down the terrorists who are involved in the Pahalgam incident that killed 26 civilians. "And we hope, frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent that they're responsible, cooperates with India to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with," Vance stated.

This is the first statement from the Trump administration potentially linking Pakistan to extremism in India.

Marco Rubio Talks To India, Pakistan

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and with Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, encouraging both countries to de-escalate tensions.

During his call with S Jaishankar, Marco Rubio expressed sorrow for the lives lost in the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and reaffirmed the United States' commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism. "He also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia," US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

US President's Reaction

US President Donald Trump had earlier condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, calling it a "bad

"I am very close to India and I'm very close to Pakistan, as you know, and they've had that fight for a thousand years in Kashmir. Kashmir has been going on for a thousand years, probably longer than that, and it (terrorist attack) was a bad one yesterday, that (terrorist attack) was a bad one, over 30 people," he added.

On April 22, four terrorists gunned down 26 civilians at Pahalgam in Kashmir. The Resistance Front had initially claimed responsibility before denying connection.