ISLAMABAD: The Unites States (US) has asked Pakistan and China to “avoid miscalculation,” while China urged both its neighbors to exercise restrain, amid a rise in cross-border incursions by Pakistani and Indian militaries.
Rubio held separate telephonic conversations with Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers for the first known time since the conflict erupted, in a bid to lower tensions between the two nuclear-armed archfoes.
The development came amid reports that Pakistan’s prime minister had summoned on Saturday a meeting of the country’s top nuclear body, but Defense Minister Khawaja Asif denied any such move by Islamabad.
“Secretary Rubio emphasized that both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation,” the US State Department said on Saturday.
“He further proposed US support in facilitating productive discussions to avert future disputes.”
Rubio’s call with the two FMs followed Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes against India early Saturday that targeted multiple military sites, including a missile storage facility, after Indian attacks on its air bases.
India said it targeted Pakistani military bases after Islamabad fired several “high-speed missiles” at multiple Indian bases in the country’s Punjab state. The claims could not be independently verified.
The latest escalation between Pakistan and India was triggered by an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the assault, Islamabad denies the charge and has called for a credible, international investigation.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled only in part by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic republic of Pakistan. It has been the site of wars, insurgency and diplomatic standoffs over the decades.
Days of clashes between the two neighbors, which began after Wednesday’s missile strikes by New Delhi deep inside Pakistan, have killed nearly 50 people on both sides and brought the nuclear-armed arch-foes to the brink of a full-blown war.
Rubio separately held a telephonic conversation with Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir in a bid to lower tensions between the two sides.
“He continued to urge both parties to find ways to deescalate and offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts,” the State Department said.
Pakistan said that, before its retaliatory attacks, India had fired missiles at three air bases, including one close to the capital, Islamabad, but Pakistani air defenses intercepted most of them. Five civilians were killed in the latest strikes in the Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir, the regional police said.
Analysts and diplomats have long feared that a conflict between the arch-rivals could escalate into the use of nuclear weapons, in one of the world’s most dangerous and most populated nuclear flashpoint regions.
China, which borders both Pakistan and India, has urged the arch-foes to exercise restraint.
“We strongly call on both India and Pakistan to give priority to peace and stability, remain calm and restrained, return to the track of political settlement through peaceful means and avoid taking actions that further escalate tensions,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Saturday.
The Group of Seven (G7) major countries on Friday urged India and Pakistan to engage in direct dialogue.
“We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue toward a peaceful outcome,” the G7 statement said.
The foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US, Britain and the European Union said in a statement they “strongly condemn” an April 22 attack, which killed 26 people in India-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan, which denied the accusations and called for a neutral probe into the attack that has sparked the latest fighting between the two neighbors.
In recent years, India has been seen as an important partner by Western powers as a counter-balance to China’s rising influence. Pakistan is a US ally although its importance has diminished since Washington’s 2021 withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan.