US tells Pak to assist in hunting down terrorists

Toughening its stance towards Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the US has called on Islamabad to cooperate with New Delhi in hunting down the terrorists responsible for the massacre of tourists. At the same time, it expressed hope that New Delhi’s military response would not trigger a wider regional conflict.

Comment: How to solve a problem like Pakistan

US Vice-President JD Vance, in an interview to media house ‘Fox News’, said, “We hope that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn’t lead to a broader regional conflict. And frankly, we also hope that Pakistan, to the extent it is responsible, cooperates with India to ensure that terrorists, who sometimes operate from its territory, are hunted down.”

Asked if he was concerned about the India-Pakistan tensions, Vance said he was worried anytime he saw a hotspot flaring up, especially between two nuclear powers. “We are in close contact with our friends in India and Pakistan,” he said.

Modi a tough negotiator: Vance

US Vice-President JD Vance has called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “tough negotiator” and said India could be among the first countries to strike a trade deal to avert reciprocal tariffs. On India, he said, “I think, it will be among the first deals for sure. We have got negotiations with Japan, Korea, countries in Europe and… a good negotiation going on with India,” he said.

Vance along with his Indian-origin wife Usha was on a visit to India from April 21 to 24 when terrorists gunned down 25 tourists and a local at Pahalgam’s picturesque Baisaran meadow on April 22.

Vance’s remarks mark a shift in the US position over the past two days. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had made separate phone calls to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, asking both to “work with each other”.

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce had said Rubio spoke with Jaishankar and “encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia”. Rubio reaffirmed the US’ commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism. Jaishankar, in turn, conveyed to Rubio that the perpetrators, backers and planners of the terror attack must be brought to justice.

While Rubio had urged Sharif to cooperate in investigating the “unconscionable attack”, Vance went a step further in explicitly asking Pakistan to “assist India in hunting down the terrorists”. “Rubio had asked Pakistan to work with India to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct communications and maintain peace and security in South Asia,” spokesperson Bruce had said.

Hours after Rubio spoke with Jaishankar, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth called up Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Pete told Rajnath that the US stood in solidarity with India and supported its right to defend itself.