iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday, April 30, to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to working with India to fight terrorism.
Rubio expressed his sadness over the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists, and left many others injured.
In his conversation with Minister Jaishankar, Rubio also encouraged India to engage with Pakistan to ease tensions and maintain peace in the South Asia region, according to U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
The conversation comes at a time when ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have increased, following the deadly attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which was carried out by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
In response, India has taken strong actions against Pakistan, including suspending the Indus Water Treaty and closing the Integrated Check Post at Attari.
The country has also decided to reduce the number of staff at Pakistan’s High Commission in India and recently announced the closure of its airspace to Pakistan owned and operated flights, till May 23.
India’s government has given its armed forces full authority to decide how to respond to the Pahalgam attack. The Indian Army has taken swift action against Pakistan’s unprovoked small arms fire along the LoC, particularly during incidents on the nights of April 26-27 and April 27-28 in areas near Kupwara and Poonch districts.
Security forces in the Kashmir Valley have stepped up anti-terror operations since the attack, and the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met the day after the incident to review the situation.
It was noted that the attack occurred after Jammu and Kashmir had successfully held elections and had made progress toward economic growth and development.
(Photo courtesy: x.com/DrSJaishankar)