US tells India and Pakistan to tone down Kashmir tensions, avoid military clash

The US urged India and Pakistan to work together to de-escalate tensions and avoid an expected clash, after militants last week killed dozens of people in the Indian-controlled portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with top officials from both countries on Wednesday, asking them to “maintain peace and security in South Asia”.

He told Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, of the need to condemn the attack and re-establish direct communications, according to a statement from the State Department. Rubio also spoke with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Relations between the nuclear-armed nations and long-time adversaries have rapidly deteriorated in the wake of the attack, which India and the US have called an act of terrorism.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has accused Pakistan of involvement and vowed to punish those responsible. Pakistan has denied any links to the assault and warned of retaliation if India takes military action.

In a televised address shortly after midnight on Wednesday, Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said his country had “credible intelligence” that India would carry out military action in the next 24 to 36 hours. Hours later at a news conference, Pakistan’s military spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said the country’s response to any Indian aggression will be “befitting and decisive”.

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мир Военные Действия

Кашмир напряженность кашмир военный столкновение призыв де-эскалации снижение Кашмира гималайский