Rubio spoke with Indian foreign minister, Pakistani PM

1/5/2025 5:43

U.S. Secretary of State

Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged India and Pakistan to work with

each other to de-escalate tensions after last week's Islamist

militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26

people, the State Department said.



Rubio spoke separately with Indian Foreign Minister

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz

Sharif while expressing support to India in combating extremism

and urging Pakistan to cooperate in probing the attack, the

State Department said after Rubio's calls.



Wednesday's calls mark the highest levels of publicly known

simultaneous diplomatic engagements from Washington aimed at

reducing India-Pakistan tensions since the April 22 attack.



India is an important U.S. partner to counter China's rising

influence. Pakistan remains Washington's ally even as its

importance diminished after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from

neighboring Afghanistan.



State Department statements after the calls termed the

Kashmir attack as "terror" and "unconscionable," and said Rubio

spoke to Pakistan "of the need to condemn" it.



Rubio "urged Pakistani officials' cooperation in

investigating this unconscionable attack," the State Department

said. Sharif's office said he asked Rubio to urge India "to dial

down the rhetoric."



Rubio urged the Asian nuclear-armed neighbors to work with

each other "to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct

communications, and maintain peace."



Washington urged other countries to help reduce tensions

while asking India and Pakistan to work on a "responsible

solution."



Washington has condemned the attack without criticizing

Pakistan. India blamed Pakistan, which denied responsibility,

calling for a neutral probe.



Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both

Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan, which each controls

only part of it and have fought wars over it.



After the attack, India suspended a treaty regulating

water-sharing, and both countries closed airspace to each

other's airlines. They exchanged fire across their border.



Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed

to punish those responsible. Pakistan says military action by

India was imminent.