India-Pakistan conflict ‘none of our business’ – Vance
Washington will not interfere in the conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad, US Vice President J.D. Vance said on Thursday, urging the South Asian nations to reduce tensions.
“We’re not going to get involved in the middle of a war that’s fundamentally none of our business,” Vance told Fox News. “Look, we’re concerned any time nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict,” he added.
Vance said that the US hoped the situation would not spiral into a broader regional war or a nuclear conflict. “Fundamentally, India has its gripes with Pakistan. Pakistan has responded to India, he added. “What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit.”
The US vice president’s comments came a day after India launched “Operation Sindoor,” a series of strikes on suspected terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-Administered Kashmir. The strikes were in retaliation to a terrorist attack in April in the India Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
Vance's comments come close on the heels of US President Donald Trump requesting India and Pakistan to halt what he described as “tit-for-tat” actions. Trump had added that he would be willing to help the South Asian countries, if needed.
Islamabad has condemned New Delhi’s strikes as a “heinous provocation” and vowed retaliation.
Since the Indian strikes, Pakistan has responded with shelling across the Line of Control, the de facto border between the countries in Kashmir. The cross-border fire has resulted in 16 civilian deaths, according to the Indian government.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, stressing “the urgency for immediate de-escalation.” Rubio also “reaffirmed US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged ongoing efforts to enhance communication.”
On the same day Rubio spoke to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who once again condemned India’s strikes. Sharif asserted that Pakistan would “defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs” as quoted by PTV News.
Rubio has noted that the US was “closely following the situation in South Asia” while being “committed to promoting peace and stability in the region,” urging both India and Pakistan to de-escalate.
