US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif amid rising tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
During his conversation with Dr Jaishankar, Rubio expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the victims and their families in the Pahalgam attack, according to US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
He reaffirmed the US's commitment to working with India in the global fight against terrorism.
Rubio encouraged both India and Pakistan to engage in dialogue aimed at de-escalating regional tensions and promoting peace and stability in South Asia, Bruce said in a statement.
Rubio also discussed the situation with Shehbaz Sharif.
Pak PM briefed Rubio him on Islamabad's perspective regarding recent developments in South Asia.
PM Narendra Modi has given free hand to three armed forces to decide about the target, mode and timing of the attack against terror and Pakistan.
Modi has held a series of back-to-back security meetings with his Cabinet ministers including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and NSA Ajit Doval.
Top defence brass and three service chiefs also attended multiple meetings.
PM Modi has said the decisive fight against terror is a national resolution and his government has vowed to "pursue" the perpetrators and their backers "to the ends of the earth".
India has downgraded its ties with Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack on April 22 and took several diplomatic measures, including the pausing of the Indus Waters Treaty, expelling all Pakistani military attaches and the shutting down of the Attari-Wagah border.
In response, Pakistan suspended the Simla Agreement and banned its airspace. New Delhi has also banned the airspace for Pakistani aircraft and military planes.
India is assessing things in totality before taking any decision. It is also gauging the mood of China which has in the past and even lately backed Pakistan in international fora.
The US, which once attached considerable importance to its relationship with Pakistan during war against radicals in Afghanistan; now has diminished attachment and excitement about Islamabad.
This has given India a huge advantage in the comity of nations vis-a-vis the comity of nations and PM Modi's resolve to take the fight against Pakistan to a logical conclusion. Of course, given the new focus on the Indo-Pacific and the importance of Quad; Donald Trump's interest in India has steadily grown.
The same is true of the Middle East. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, generous benefactors of Pakistan in the past, are now friendly to the Modi-led regime in New Delhi.
All these nations have deepening economic and security ties with India and may not tilt in favour of Pakistan when need arises.
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