US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for India and Pakistan to exercise restraint while urging the latter to take “meaningful” action against militant hideouts.
“We encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost,” Pompeo said in a statement after speaking with the foreign ministers of both countries late Tuesday.
The remarks came in response to recent escalation between India and Pakistan following India’s strike across the Line of Control (LoC) targeting a terror camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad who took responsibility for a terrorist attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir that left some 40 Indian policemen martyred.
Pompeo said that in talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he stressed “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.”
A stronger message in favour of India’s moves was put up by France. “France recognizes India’s legitimacy to ensure its security against cross-border terrorism and asks Pakistan to put an end to the operations of terrorist groups established on its territory,” the French government said in a statement on Tuesday.
France also asked both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint so as to avert any risk of military escalation and preserve strategic stability in the region.
Meanwhile, Beijing had the softest stance on the escalating tensions. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang also expressed that India and Pakistan are both important countries in South Asia which makes sound relations and cooperation important between the two to serve their interest for peace and stability in the region.
These remarks were in response to India’s airstrike in the wee hours of 26 February across the Line of Control (LoC) which, as per their Foreign Secretary was a successful mission and ended up destroying one of the biggest terror camps of Jaish-e-Mohammad.
India’a Foreign secretary expressed that India’s actions were necessitated by a severe lack of action and complacence by Pakistan in countering terrorism on its soil.
