Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called for New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restraint and avoid escalation at any cost following an Indian strike inside Pakistan.
The U.S. chief diplomat issued a statement amid spiraling South Asian tensions after what Pompeo called Indian “counter-terrorism actions.”
Pompeo, who spoke to foreign ministers of both countries, also asked Pakistan to avoid military action and act against terrorist groups operating on its soil.
India on Tuesday claimed it had carried out an airstrike against a camp of militant organization Jaish e Mohammad in Balaokot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in retaliation against February 14 attack on its security forces in Pulwama in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir territory.
Islamabad has rejected the claim and said there was no evidence of India killing militants at the place where it released its payloads when Pakistani jets scrambled t confront Indian warplanes. Pakistan was first to announce that Indian jets violated its airspace.
Pakistan has also said it would retaliate at a time and place of its choosing.
Here is the full statement as released by the State Department in Washington D.C.
“Following Indian counter-terrorism actions on February 26, I spoke with Indian Minister of External Affairs Swaraj to emphasize our close security partnership and shared goal of maintaining peace and security in the region.
“I also spoke to Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi to underscore the priority of de-escalating current tensions by avoiding military action, and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil.
“I expressed to both Ministers that we encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost. I also encouraged both Ministers to prioritize direct communication and avoid further military activity.”
