Washington: U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated on Thursday that the United States hopes Pakistan will work together with India to target Pakistan-based militants, urging that India’s response to the recent militant attack in India-administered Kashmir not escalate into a larger 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 during 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.
These comments mark the closest the U.S. government has come to potentially implicating Pakistan in the April 22 attack, which left 26 people dead, linking it to extremism in India.
Following the attack, U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, condemned the assault, calling it “terror” and “unconscionable”, while offering strong support for India without directly attributing blame to Pakistan. India remains a key partner for the U.S. as Washington works to counter China’s growing influence. Despite this, Pakistan continues to be an ally, though its strategic significance has diminished since the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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In the wake of the attack, Washington has urged both India and Pakistan to collaborate in easing tensions and finding a “responsible solution” to the situation. India has accused Pakistan of being behind the attack, while Islamabad denies any involvement and calls for an impartial investigation.
The U.S. State Department has been in regular contact with both countries at various levels, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio holding calls on Wednesday with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
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Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to punish those responsible for the attack, with Jaishankar assuring Rubio that the perpetrators should be brought to justice. Meanwhile, Pakistan has warned that India’s military response could be imminent.
The disputed region of Kashmir, claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, has been a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed nations, which have fought wars over the region. Following the recent attack, India suspended a treaty regulating water-sharing, while both countries closed their airspace to each other’s airlines and exchanged fire along their border.
