As he pressed Islamabad to end any support for “terrorist groups,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday ( May 8 ) urged India and Pakistan to immediately take steps to de-escalate and engage in dialogue.
After New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an assault on the Indian-run aspect of disputed Kashmir, the two nuclear-armed neighbors have recently engaged in deadly conflicts. Pakistan has refuted the assertion.
In a State Department speech, Rubio “emphasised the need for instant de-escalation” in conversations with Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Indian prime minister.
He praised continued efforts to improve communications between India and Pakistan and expressed US help for immediate speech, according to spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Rubio “reiterated his calling for Pakistan to take practical steps to end any help for criminal teams” in a phone with Sharif.
He even “prayed for the noted loss of human lives in the current discord.”