Secretary of State Marco Rubio called officials in India and Pakistan in a push to defuse the escalating crisis between the neighboring countries after the deadly attack in Kashmir last week.
Rubio spoke to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and to Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday and urged them to work together to “de-escalate tensions” in order to “maintain peace and security in South Asia,” according to both State Department readouts of the phone calls.
The April 22 attack left 26 tourists dead in part of Kashmir controlled by India, which accused Pakistan of endorsing the attack and has vowed to retaliate. India also responded by ending an important water-sharing treaty with Pakistan, while both countries have expelled diplomats and closed their borders.
Indian and Pakistani troops have exchanged fire along the border for the past six nights, according to The Associated Press.
Rubio, in his call with Sharif, stressed the importance of condemning the April 22 attack and urged Pakistani officials to cooperate with the investigation, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. The secretary of state also pushed Sharif to re-establish direct communications with India.
Bruce said, in the call, both Rubio and Sharif, “reaffirmed their continued commitment to holding terrorists accountable for their heinous acts of violence.”
In his call with Jaishankar, Rubio “expressed his sorrow for the lives lost” in the attack and “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism,” Bruce said.
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