Work towards de-escalation: US, Saudi to India, Pakistan after Pahalgam attack

New Delhi: A week after the Pahalgam terror attack jolted Kashmir, the US has said that it is closely monitoring the developments pertaining to the incident and advised both India and Pakistan not to escalate tensions.

US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Washington is in touch with the governments of both the countries. Bruce said secretary of state Marco Rubio will speak to his Indian and Pakistani counterparts. Rubio "expects to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India as early as today (Wednesday) or tomorrow (Thursday). He is encouraging other national leaders and foreign ministers to reach out to the countries on this issue."

Bruce added that Washington is reaching out to both India and Pakistan "regarding the Kashmir situation" and telling "them not to escalate the situation".


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When asked for remarks about Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif's comments that Islamabad has "been doing this dirty work for the United States", Bruce said, "The only thing I'm really prepared to discuss here is the fact that the secretary of state is going to be speaking with the foreign ministers of both countries."

She added, "What I can tell you - obviously, we're also monitoring the developments across the board in that region, and we - as you know, at multiple levels, I have to say - are in touch with the governments of India and Pakistan, not just at the foreign minister level, certainly, but at multiple levels." "We, of course, are encouraging all parties to work together for a responsible solution. The world is watching this. But I have no additional details in that regard," Bruce said.

Saudi Arabia, among India's closest partners in the Gulf region, has also called for de-escalation between India and Pakistan.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar continued to receive phone calls from his counterparts from several countries condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with India.