 "In this image posted by @DrSJaishankar via X on January 22, 2025, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting, in Washington DC. @DrSJaishankar via PTI")
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, as tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following a recent Pahalgam terror attack.
According to media reports, he is also likely to call External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
During the call, Sharif accused India of engaging in “escalatory and provocative behavior,” amid growing concerns over a potential flare-up between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“India’s provocations would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism, particularly from militant groups,” AFP quoted Sharif as saying, according to the statement released by his office.
On Sunday, Washington said it was in touch with the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors at multiple levels while urging them to work towards what it called a “responsible solution.”
“We are reaching out to both parties, and telling, of course, them to not escalate the situation,” a State Department spokesperson told reporters on Sunday, quoting a statement by Rubio.
The State Department had also said Rubio would to speak to the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on Tuesday or Wednesday and encouraged other foreign ministers to do the same.
In public, Washington expressed support for India after the attack that was condemned by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, but it has not criticised Pakistan.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia blamed Pakistan for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26. Pakistan denies responsibility and called for a neutral probe.
India is an increasingly important US partner as Washington aims to counter China’s rising influence. Pakistan remains Washington’s ally even as its importance diminished after the 2021 US withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan.
After the Pahalgam attack, India suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty that regulates water-sharing from the Indus River and its tributaries, and Pakistan closed airspace to Indian airlines.
They also exchanged fire across their de facto border.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to punish the attackers. Pakistan’s defence minister has said a military incursion by India was imminent.
With inputs from agencies