JD Vance: ‘US Hopes India Will Avoid Regional War’ After Pahalgam Terror Attack
US Vice President JD Vance urged India to respond with restraint following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, warning against escalation and calling on Pakistan to cooperate.
Amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions, US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday (local time) said the Biden administration hopes India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack does not spiral into a broader regional conflict. He also urged Pakistan to assist India in pursuing the attackers.
“Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn’t lead to a broader regional conflict,” Vance told Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier. “And we hope, frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent that they’re responsible, cooperates with India to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with,” he added.
Vance, who was in India with his family during the attack, had condemned the assault on social media, calling it a “cowardly and tragic act.”
The April attack in Pahalgam claimed 26 lives — 25 of them tourists — marking the worst civilian tragedy in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama bombing. The militants targeted a scenic meadow popular with visitors, accessible only by hike or pony ride.
Home Minister Amit Shah vowed on Thursday that the attack would not go unanswered. “If anyone thinks that a cowardly attack is their victory, they must remember this is Narendra Modi’s India — and revenge will be taken, one by one,” Shah said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoed this sentiment, promising to “pursue” the terrorists and their backers “to the ends of the earth.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also stepped in, holding calls with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to urge cooperation and de-escalation. Washington has reiterated that the perpetrators must be brought to justice, but also cautioned against a military flare-up between the two nuclear-armed nations.
In the wake of the attack, India downgraded diplomatic relations with Pakistan. This included expelling Pakistani military attachés, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down its airspace to Pakistani flights, and closing the Attari-Wagah border.
Pakistan retaliated by halting the Simla Agreement and restricting Indian nationals from entering the country. On Thursday, India allowed Pakistani nationals to return via the Attari-Wagah border, but Islamabad has not reciprocated.
