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US tells India and Pakistan to tone down Kashmir tensions, avoid military clash

US Secretary of State Rubio asked both sides to ‘maintain peace’ in South Asia and told Pakistani leader Sharif to condemn the attack

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Indian paramilitary soldiers patrol a market in Srinagar, Kashmir, on April 29. Photo: AP
Bloomberg
The US urged India and Pakistan to work together to de-escalate tensions and avoid an expected clash, after militants last week killed dozens of people in the Indian-controlled portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with top officials from both countries on Wednesday, asking them to “maintain peace and security in South Asia”.

He told Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, of the need to condemn the attack and re-establish direct communications, according to a statement from the State Department. Rubio also spoke with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
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Relations between the nuclear-armed nations and long-time adversaries have rapidly deteriorated in the wake of the attack, which India and the US have called an act of terrorism.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has accused Pakistan of involvement and vowed to punish those responsible. Pakistan has denied any links to the assault and warned of retaliation if India takes military action.

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Jaishankar said in a social media post that he discussed the attack in Kashmir with Rubio on Wednesday. “Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice,” he said on Thursday.

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