US NSA John Bolton dials Ajit Doval for a second time amid tensions between India and Pakistan

Washington: US National Security Adviser John Bolton has talked to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval for a second time amidst tense ties between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack and New Delhi’s air strike against JeM terror training camp in Balaklot. [caption id=“attachment_5159071” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of US national security advisor John Bolton. AP[/caption] Doval and Bolton are understood to have discussed the current situation in the region during the telephonic conversation on Wednesday, official sources here said. The two national security advisers previously talked on 15 February during which they resolved to hold Pakistan to account for its obligations under the UN resolutions and remove all obstacles to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. Bolton supported India’s right to self-defence against cross-border terrorism and offered all assistance to India to bring the perpetrators and backers of the attack promptly to justice. Tensions have escalated between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama attack by Pakistan-based JeM. India carried out air strikes against the biggest training camp of JeM in Balakot. In the operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for suicide attacks were eliminated. The facility at Balakot was headed by Yousuf Azhar, the brother-in-law of the JeM chief. Pakistan on Wednesday claimed it shot down two Indian fighter jets over Pakistani air space and arrested a pilot. Forty CRPF personnel were killed and many injured on 14 February in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a JeM suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.