The US has called on India and Pakistan to cooperate in "de-escalating tensions" following a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last week that left 26 civilians dead.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate discussions with India’s foreign minister and Pakistan’s prime minister on Wednesday, urging both nations to “maintain peace and security in South Asia.”
India has accused Pakistan of backing the militants responsible for the 22 April attack at a scenic meadow near the resort town of Pahalgam. Pakistan has denied the allegations.
In a fresh retaliatory move on Wednesday, India announced the closure of its airspace to all Pakistani aircraft — the latest in a series of tit-for-tat measures exchanged by the two neighbors.
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, after a phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart, stated on X that the “perpetrators, backers, and planners” of the Pahalgam attack “must be brought to justice.” U.S. Senator Marco Rubio expressed his condolences and reaffirmed Washington’s support for India in its fight against terrorism.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State emphasized the importance of “condemning the terror attack” during his conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He urged Islamabad to cooperate fully “in investigating this unconscionable attack.”
In response, Prime Minister Sharif rejected “Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident,” according to a statement from his office. He also called on the United States to “encourage India to tone down its rhetoric and act responsibly.”
The phone calls come amid rising tensions after Pakistan’s Information Minister warned that Islamabad had “credible intelligence” suggesting India might launch military action within the next 24 to 36 hours. New Delhi has not publicly responded to these claims.
Speculation has mounted over whether India will carry out military strikes against Pakistan, similar to its responses following deadly militant attacks in 2016 and 2019. In turn, Pakistan has warned that it would retaliate in the event of any military action.
Amid the escalating tensions, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held high-level meetings with senior state and defence officials in New Delhi. On Wednesday, the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Modi, convened for the second time since the Pahalgam attack.
According to India news outlets citing unnamed sources, Modi had earlier met with top defence officials and granted the armed forces a “free hand” to determine the timing, targets, and method of their response to the attack.
In recent days, troops from both countries have exchanged intermittent small-arms fire along the border.
On Tuesday, India “strongly objected” to multiple ceasefire violations by Pakistan during a scheduled weekly call between senior military officials, according to India media reports.
The following day, India announced it would bar all Pakistani aircraft—both commercial and military—from entering its airspace, mirroring a similar restriction imposed earlier by Pakistan.
India has also suspended most visas issued to Pakistani nationals and ordered them to leave the country within a specified timeframe, which has since expired. Additionally, it paused a key water-sharing agreement with Pakistan.
In response, Islamabad cancelled Indian visas and suspended a 1972 peace accord with New Delhi.
Since the announcements, media reports indicate that 786 Pakistani nationals have departed India, while 1,465 Indians have returned from Pakistan.
Meanwhile, several Pakistani film actors and celebrities have had their Instagram accounts blocked in India, adding to the growing list of bilateral disruptions. Searches for some celebrity accounts now come up as unavailable.
“This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content,” read a notification from Instagram after several accounts were taken offline.
India has not officially commented on the reasons behind the takedowns. Earlier this week, more than a dozen Pakistani news channels were also banned in India for allegedly spreading provocative content, according to media reports.
Kashmir—claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but administered in parts—has remained a longstanding flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbours since their partition in 1947.
Indian-administered Kashmir has witnessed an armed insurgency against Indian rule since 1989, with militants often targeting both security forces and civilians.
While India has not officially named any group responsible for the recent attack, initial reports suggested that the Resistance Front may have been behind it. The group, which has denied involvement, is reportedly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant organisation that India designates as a terrorist group.
Indian police have identified three of the four suspected attackers, stating that two were Pakistani nationals and one was a local resident of Indian-administered Kashmir. No information has been released about the fourth suspect.
Many survivors of the attack reported that the gunmen appeared to target Hindu men specifically.
The attack, the deadliest against civilians in the disputed territory in two decades, has triggered widespread outrage across India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to take strong action. In a fiery address delivered days after the killings, Modi declared that “India will identify, track, and punish” those responsible in a manner “beyond their imagination.”
