Washington says in contact with Pakistan and India, calls for restraint

Express Tribune

28-04-2025

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The United States said on Monday it was in contact with both Pakistan and India and urged both sides to work towards a 'responsible solution' as tensions escalated following a attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
A US State Department spokesperson told Reuters that Washington is 'monitoring developments closely' and has engaged with both governments 'at multiple levels.'
The United States reiterated its support for India following the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, where more than two dozen people were killed. Pakistan has denied any involvement and called for a neutral investigation.
'This is an evolving situation,' the State Department spokesperson said, adding Washington 'stands with India and strongly condemns the terrorist attack.'
Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst based in Washington, said India is now a much closer US partner than Pakistan. He warned that Islamabad may fear limited US restraint if India retaliates militarily.
Hussain Haqqani, a former Pakistan ambassador to Washington, noted there appears to be little appetite in the US to mediate tensions this time.
'Both countries work themselves into a frenzy every few years. This time there is no US interest in calming things down,' Haqqani said.
On April 23, India unilaterally suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a critical water-sharing agreement brokered by the World Bank that has withstood multiple wars and decades of hostility between the two nations.
In response, Pakistan took immediate retaliatory measures. The next day, it threatened to suspend the Simla Agreement and closed its airspace to Indian flights.
The National Security Committee (NSC) in Islamabad also issued a strong statement, urging India to halt its blame game and the politicised exploitation of incidents such as the Pahalgam attack to advance its narrow political agenda.