WASHINGTON: The US State Department has urged both Pakistan and India to work toward a “responsible solution” amid escalating tensions between the two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack.
India has accused Pakistan of being responsible for the attack, while Pakistan has denied the allegations and called for a neutral investigation into the incident.
“This is an evolving situation, and we are monitoring developments closely. We have been in touch with the governments of India and Pakistan at multiple levels,” a US State Department spokesperson stated in an emailed response to Reuters on Sunday.
The spokesperson added, “The United States encourages all parties to work together towards a responsible resolution.”
The spokesperson also reiterated that Washington “stands with India and strongly condemns the attack in Pahalgam,” echoing previous statements made by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Analysts have noted that despite the US’s ongoing diplomatic engagement in global conflicts, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict, Washington has not intervened significantly in the tensions between India and Pakistan.
Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst, noted that the Trump administration is “dealing with a lot on its global plate” and may leave India and Pakistan to manage their own disputes in the early stages of the conflict.
Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistani ambassador to the US and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, observed that the US appears to have little interest in intervening to de-escalate the situation, as both India and Pakistan have longstanding grievances.
In the wake of the attack, both countries have taken retaliatory measures, including Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines and India suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of water resources from the Indus River.
