WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday Washington hoped Pakistan would cooperate with India in Pahalgam attack investigations, and that India’s response to the attack does not lead to a broader regional conflict.
“Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn’t lead to a broader regional conflict,” Vance said in an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” show.
“And we hope, frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent that they’re responsible, cooperates with India to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with,” Vance added.
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Vance’s comments are the closest the US government has come since the April 22 attack – in which 26 people were killed in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Top US leaders, including President Donald Trump, have condemned the attack, calling it “terror” and “unconscionable,” while expressing support for India without blaming Pakistan.
India is an 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.
In recent days, Washington urged India and Pakistan to work with each other to de-escalate tensions and arrive at a “responsible solution.”
India has blamed Pakistan for the attack. Islamabad denies responsibility and is calling for a neutral probe.
The US State Department has said it was in touch with the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors at multiple levels and Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls on Wednesday with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish those responsible and Jaishankar has told Rubio that the perpetrators should be brought to justice. Pakistan says military action by India was imminent.
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After the attack, India suspended a treaty regulating water-sharing, and both countries closed airspace to each other’s airlines.
They also exchanged fire across their border.
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