'Will hit terrorists in Pakistan': S Jaishankar told US secretary of state Marco Rubio a week after Pahalgam attack
told US secretary of state Marco Rubio in a phone call on May 1 after the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, which killed 26 people.
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"We will hit the terrorists in Pakistan, and there should be no doubt about it," Jaishankar told Rubio, according to ANI citing sources.
'If Pakistan does anything more, our response will be far stronger'
also spoke with US vice-president JD Vance on May 9, "If they (Pakistan) do anything more, our response will be far stronger" when the latter called him up to convey what US intelligence had gathered about Pakistan's intent to massively escalate hostilities.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US Vice President JD Vance clearly that if Pakistan does something, the response will be more devastating and strong. On the same night, Pakistan attacked 26 sites and India responded very strongly. Strikes were launched on their bases," news agency ANI quoted sources as saying.
According to the report, Vance, who was in India with his Indian-origin wife Usha and their children on the day (April 22) of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which led to the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours, called PM Modi on Friday (local time) with the message that the US officials had assessed there was a "high probability of a dramatic escalation of violence that could tip into full-scale war."
PM Modi listened but "did not commit to any of the ideas" proposed by the US Vice President to de-escalate, the report added.Vance's intervention came just days after he said in an interview that the India-Pakistan conflict is "fundamentally not our business."
India-Pakistan ties hit when terrorist opened fire at a famed meadow near Pahalgam town, dubbed "mini Switzerland," and started firing at tourists. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge denied by Islamabad.
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After this, India retaliated back on May 7 with "Operation Sindoor."
India conducted strikes on nine terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). In response, Pakistan initiated unprovoked aggression using artillery weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles.
During the night spanning May 7-8, Pakistan launched offensive operations targeting multiple military installations across Northern and Western India, including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, utilising drones and missiles.
The Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems successfully intercepted these attacks.
Both the countries reached to an agreement for ceasefire on May 10 but after few hours, India accused Pakistan of violating the terms of the understanding on Saturday night and asked it to take "appropriate steps" to address these violations and deal with the situation with "seriousness and responsibility".
But after few hours, the situation cooled down even though residents in several border areas continue to live in a state of fear following days of shelling and drone incidents.
During discussions on May 10 between Rubio and Jaishankar regarding India-Pakistan tensions, Rubio stressed the importance of immediate tension reduction.
He also confirmed US backing for direct talks between India and Pakistan whilst supporting enhanced communication channels.
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