The US has reiterated concerns over Pakistan’s alleged terror links and urged India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and engage in dialogue amid rising conflict in Kashmir.
The United States State Department has reiterated its longstanding concern over Pakistan’s alleged support for terrorist groups, as tensions between India and Pakistan escalate in the Kashmir region. US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce, in a recent statement, urged both nations to avoid further escalation and emphasised the need for open communication to prevent the crisis from spiralling into a larger regional conflict.
Bruce’s remarks came in response to a question regarding whether the United States shares India’s concerns about Pakistan’s role in supporting terrorism. She acknowledged the longstanding concerns about Pakistan’s links to militant groups operating in the region, stressing that the U.S. has consistently monitored the situation in South Asia for decades. “Obviously in today’s world, that’s a call that we’ve been making for decades. It is the dynamic that we’ve seen in the Middle East disrupting lives and clearly what happened in Kashmir is awful, and we’ve all sent our condolences. The world has rejected the nature of that kind of violence,” Bruce said.
She further emphasized that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s primary focus is to ensure that tensions between India and Pakistan do not escalate into a broader conflict. “The real focus of the Secretary of State is that this should not escalate. This has been a key framework for decades, and what we saw over the last few weeks, after the terrorist attack, was not surprising, but very, very disappointing,” Bruce added. The U.S. has consistently advocated for dialogue between the two nations, urging India and Pakistan to communicate rather than remain silent.
Escalating tensions and military strikes
The United States’ statement comes amid an escalating military standoff between India and Pakistan, triggered by a series of attacks and counterattacks. On Thursday, Pakistan targeted military installations in 15 cities, including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Gujarat, using drones and missiles. India’s air defence systems intercepted these attacks, while Indian forces retaliated by targeting Pakistani air defence radars. This escalation follows India’s Operation Sindoor, which was launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. India’s military strike targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing over 100 militants linked to groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Despite the calibrated nature of India’s response, tensions continue to rise along the Line of Control (LoC), with both sides engaged in cross-border shelling, leading to civilian casualties on both sides.
The Pahalgam attack, attributed to The Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy, catalyzed India’s military response. India accused Pakistan of supporting the terrorists behind the attack and launched Operation Sindoor to dismantle militant infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised that while the strikes were focused on terror camps, they intentionally avoided targeting Pakistani military establishments to prevent further escalation.
India has reiterated its commitment to non-escalation, provided Pakistan refrains from further aggression, but with Pakistan’s ongoing support for cross-border terrorism, a peaceful resolution remains uncertain. The international community, including the US, has urged both nations to engage in dialogue to prevent a broader conflict.
