Islamabad is asking the US to help ease tensions with New Delhi after receiving the “reliable intelligence” of the impending strike.
According to the US State Department, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged India and Pakistan to cooperate with each other to lift tensions after last week’s attacks in India-controlled Kashmir.
In separate calls between Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday, Rubio expressed his support for India in the fight against “terrorism” and urged Pakistan to cooperate in investigating the attack, the State Department said.
Sharif’s office said in a statement that Pakistani leaders urged Washington to “dial down rhetoric and act responsibly.”
He also regretted that India chose to “put water on weapons” by leaving the Treaty of Indus Waters.
The call came when Islamabad retaliated for killing 26 men in a fatal attack on tourists in India-controlled Kashmir last week after claiming India planned to attack within 24-36 hours.
India punished Pakistan after accusing Islamabad of supporting the attack in Kashmir town of Pahargam, which it has denied, and accused him of pushing tensions between nuclear rivals to the highest point since the 2019 suicide car bombing.
New Delhi said it closed its airspace to Pakistan Airlines on Wednesday days after Islamabad banned Indian airlines from flying its territory. According to a government-issued notification to Aviation Mission (NOTAM), the ban on Pakistani aircraft will remain in effect from April 30th to May 23rd.
Indian and Pakistani forces have exchanged small fires over the past six nights. New Delhi says it was started by the Pakistani side across the de facto border running through Kashmir. No victims have been reported.
India, a Hindu majority, has accused Pakistan of funding and encouraging armed groups in Kashmir. Islamabad says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to Kashmir’s demand for self-determination.
In separate calls between Indian and Pakistani officials, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the need to “avoid conflicts that could have tragic consequences.”
The UK also wanted something calm among the Indian and Pakistani communities, and with a few exceptions, advised all trips to Jammu and Kashmir, the official names of Indian territory.
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