Islamabad urges US top diplomat to make India ‘dial down rhetoric, act responsibly’ amid high tension

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday to make India understand that it should step back in its rhetoric and exhibit responsibility amid intense tensions between the two countries in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

The April 22 attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, marking one of the deadliest assaults in the region since 2000. India has implied cross-border links without evidence, while Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership have rejected the accusation and called for a neutral probe. Tensions have since spiked, with Pakistan reinforcing its forces and Modi granting “operational freedom” to his military.

The US has urged restraint and said it was planning talks with both sides to ease the crisis.

A statement issued from the Prime Minister’s Office later today said the premier received a telephone call from the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the evening during which Shehbaz “urged the US to impress upon India to dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly”.

“Terming India’s escalatory and provocative behaviour as deeply disappointing and worrisome, the prime minister said that India’s provocations would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism, particularly from militant groups, including ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan Province), TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) and BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) operating from Afghan soil,” it added.

According to the statement, PM Shehbaz “categorically rejected” India’s attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam incident, highlighting his call for a transparent, credible and neutral investigation to bring out the facts.

It said the prime minister shared Pakistan’s perspective on recent developments in South Asia since the Pahalgam incident with Secretary Rubio.