US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday spoke to Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir and urged de-escalation with India amid rising tensions between the 2 world locations, US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. Rubio also offered US assistance in beginning “positive” talks between the 2 countries to “keep away from future conflicts”.
Earlier this week, Rubio had spoken with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif separately, emphasising the need for de-escalation and reiterated his requirements that PAK take concrete steps to end any support for terrorist groups.
India-Pakistan tensions
Tensions increase after India’s Operation Sindoor – a targeted army strike in PAK – to respond the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Since then, India has repulsed 3 waves of drone and missile attacks by PAK focused on Indian army installations in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Punjab.
In the new provocation from PAK, drones, which include armed ones, were sighted at 26 places in India, ranging from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat, with each of the International Border and the Line of Control.
US urge PAK over shut down airlines
On Saturday morning, powerful explosions were heard throughout multiple Pakistan air bases, which include a critical installation close to the capital Islamabad, prompting the Pakistani government to shut down the USA airlines. Multiple explosions were also heard in Srinagar this morning, hours after India repelled Pakistani drone attacks.
“Pakistan’s blatant escalation with drone moves and other munitions continues along our western borders. In one such incident, today at about 5 AM, Multiple enemy armed drones were spotted flying over Khasa Cantt, Amritsar. The adverse drones had been immediately engaged and destroyed by our air defence units,” the Indian Army said.
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