US Secretary Of State Marco Rubio Speaks To S Jaishankar, Pak PM To De-Escalate Tensions

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken 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.

S Jaishankar's Response

Over the talks with the US Secretary of State, the External Affairs Minister, in a post on X, said, "Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with the US Secretary Marco Rubio yesterday. Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice."

In his conversation with Sharif, Rubio has asked Pakistan Prime Minister to pre-establish direct communications, and maintain peace and security in South Asia while highlighting the need to condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam. , the US State Department spokesperson added.

Unconscionable Attack

"Both leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to holding terrorists accountable for their heinous acts of violence. The Secretary urged Pakistani officials' cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack," Tammy Bruce stated.

In view of the recent Pahalgam incident where 26 civilians were brutally shot down by terrorists, India has downgraded ties with Pakistan. New Delhi has cancelled all Pakistani visas and asked the citizens in the country.

While 786 Pakistan nationals have left India through the Attari-Wagah border, 1376 Indian nationals have returned to their homeland.

Tensions Rise

New Delhi has suspended the Indus Water Treaty and closed airspace for all Pakistani flights. On the other hand, Islamabad has also shut its airspace for Indian flights and suspended all treaties and agreements.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has claimed that it has "credible intelligence" that India will attack within days and it is ready to respond "very strongly". However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given complete operational freedom to the armed forces to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the Pahalgam massacre."