US urges India, Pakistan to work towards solution after Pahalgam massacre

NEW DELHI: Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terrorist attack , the United States said it remains in touch with both countries at multiple levels and urged them to work towards a "responsible solution". The state department also said the US stands with India and strongly condemns the terrorist attack in J&K's Pahalgam.

Both US President Donald Trump and Vice President J D Vance had spoken to PM Modi last week to condemn the April 22 attack and to express support for India's efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Washington in touch with both sides to defuse tension

This is an evolving situation and we are monitoring developments closely. We have been in touch with govts of India and Pakistan at multiple levels. The US encourages all parties to work together towards a responsible resolution," a state department spokesperson told Reuters in Washington.

Washington has remained in touch with both sides to defuse the situation but without publicly saying it's mediating. In fact, Trump said on Saturday that he's close to both India and Pakistan and "they'll get it figured out one way or the other". In talks with Modi a day after the attack, Trump strongly condemned the terror attack and "expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack". The US, however, has so far not explicitly criticised Pakistan for the attack or called upon Islamabad to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The state department's remarks came shortly after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and supported Pakistan's sovereignty and its "legitimate" security interests.