New Delhi: In what could be understood as a rebuke to Pakistan, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday “spoke of the need to condemn the terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam,” and asked Islamabad to “cooperate” in investigating the massacre.
Whereas, during his call with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Rubio urged India to work with Pakistan to “de-escalate tensions”. For Pakistan, Rubio’s message was clear—condemn and cooperate—while for India, it was to “de-escalate”. And in the nuance in the language, lies the difference.
“Today, Secretary Marco Rubio spoke with Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. The Secretary spoke of the need to condemn the terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam. Both leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to holding terrorists accountable for their heinous acts of violence,” Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the US Department of State said, citing the readout of the call between Rubio and Sharif.
Bruce added, “The Secretary urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack. He also encouraged Pakistan to work with India to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct communications, and maintain peace and security in South Asia.”
While Rubio pushed Sharif to condemn the Pahalgam attack, he also called on Islamabad to cooperate in investigating the attack. The language used in the readout is very different from a more standard one released after Rubio’s call with Jaishankar. The last part of the statements are similar, “calling for de-escalation and re-establishing direct communications”.
In his conversation with Jaishankar, “the Secretary expressed his sorrow for the lives lost in the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism.”
Rubio’s calls with the Indian and Pakistani leaders come as tensions continue to rise between New Delhi and Islamabad in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which left 26 people dead. The attack by terrorists happened near Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
On 23 April, India announced “cross-border” linkages to the attack and took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan, including holding the Indus Waters Treaty in “abeyance”. In a tit-for-tar response, Islamabad announced that it “shall exercise” its right to hold all bilateral agreements in abeyance, including the Simla Agreement.
Rubio’s clear message to Pakistan—condemn the Pahalgam terrorist attack and cooperate in the investigation—is different to what his predecessor in Trump’s first administration Mike Pompeo had said in the aftermath of the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack which left 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans dead.
The Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), the Pakistan-based terror group, had claimed responsibility for the attack.
The US had condemned the attack.
“The UN designated, Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad has claimed responsibility for this heinous act. We call on all countries to uphold their responsibilities pursuant to UN Security Council resolutions to deny safe haven and support for terrorists,” the State Department said in its statement immediately after the Pulwama attack on 14 February, 2019.
The US at the time did not ask Islamabad directly to cooperate in the investigation or condemn the attack in particular, despite acknowledging that the JeM claimed responsibility for the attack. Washington only called on “all countries” to follow international law.
On 26 February, 2019, after India carried out the Balakot air strike, Pompeo, in a call with then Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, underscored 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”.
The current US administration has been louder and clearer in its support for India after the attacks in Pahalgam. While Rubio in a statement last week said that the US “stands with India”, the Director of National Intelligence went a step further to describe the attack as one targeted against Hindus by Islamist terrorists.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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