Washington wants both nuclear-armed neighbours to avoid further escalation
\nNews Agency
\nWashington
\nUS Vice President JD Vance said that Washington hopes India\u2019s response to the recent attack in Indian Illegally Ocuppied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) does not trigger a broader regional conflict.
\n\u201cOur hope here is that India responds to this attack in a way that doesn\u2019t lead to a broader regional conflict,\u201d Vance said in an interview on Fox News. He added that Washington expects Pakistan to cooperate in tracking down and dealing with militants, \u201cto the extent that they\u2019re responsible.\u201d
\nThe April 22 attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, making it one of the worst assaults in the region since 2000. India has implied cross-border involvement, while Pakistan has rejected the claim and called for a neutral investigation. Top US leaders, including President Donald Trump, have condemned the attack and expressed support for India, but stopped short of directly blaming Pakistan. Washington considers both India and Pakistan key regional players. While India remains central to the US strategy to counter China, Pakistan\u2019s strategic importance has declined following the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The State Department said it is engaging both countries at multiple levels. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate calls with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, urging de-escalation and a \u201cresponsible solution.\u201d
\nIndia has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, closed its airspace to Pakistani airlines, and fired across the Line of Control. Islamabad has responded by restricting Indian diplomatic staff and denying involvement in the attack.
\nAt the United Nations, Pakistan\u2019s Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad met Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres on Thursday to discuss \u201cthe evolving security situation in South Asia.\u201d
\nA press release from Pakistan\u2019s mission to the UN said the ambassador reiterated Pakistan\u2019s commitment to peace and regional stability.
\nUN spokesperson St\u00e9phane Dujarric confirmed that Guterres had spoken with both Indian and Pakistani leaders following the attack and had offered his \u201cgood offices\u201d to mediate, but travel to the region was unlikely unless both sides agreed to his involvement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington wants both nuclear-armed neighbours to avoid further escalation News Agency Washington US Vice President JD Vance said that Washington hopes India\u2019s response to the recent attack in Indian Illegally Ocuppied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) does not trigger a broader regional conflict. \u201cOur hope here is that India responds to this attack in a way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-476042","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n