WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate calls with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar in the wake of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. In his conversation with Prime Minister Sharif, Rubio emphasized the need for Pakistan to “condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam.“
During his call with Dr. Jaishankar, Secretary Rubio expressed sorrow for the loss of lives in the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam and reaffirmed the United States’ strong commitment to working with India to combat terrorism. He also encouraged India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and prioritize peace and stability in South Asia.
Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Sharif Chaudhary, held a joint press conference today in which Dar stated, “Pakistan strongly condemns the targeting of innocent civilians.” This marks the first official condemnation of the Pahalgam attack by Pakistan. However, the press conference continued with firm denials of any Pakistani involvement in the attack.
Despite official denials, numerous Pakistani political figures, journalists, and even former officials have, over the years, made statements acknowledging links to terrorism. In a recent interview with Yalda Hakim on Sky News, Pakistan’s former Defense Minister Khwaja Muhammad admitted that the country had engaged in what he called “dirty work” for the U.S. and the West, referencing support for militant groups.
Speaking to Indian journalist Karan Thapar, former Punjab Chief Minister and Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi acknowledged longstanding Indian accusations: “India has constantly accused Pakistan of fomenting trouble in Kashmir, and many organizations based in Pakistan have probably done that… Whether I admit it or not, the fact is that [the] Mumbai [26/11 attack] was done by an organization that was based in Pakistan.”
In 2015, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf publicly admitted that Pakistan supported and trained Lashkar-e-Taiba and over a dozen other terrorist organizations operating in Kashmir.
Indian leaders have grown increasingly vocal about the pattern of repeated attacks. Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor stated, “It’s not possible to keep playing the same script over and over. Since the Kargil War, we’ve seen 15 to 16 major attacks carried out by terrorists trained, equipped, and financed by elements in Pakistan. India has tried diplomacy, isolation, international condemnation—but Pakistan remains shameless.”
Former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla echoed this concern, saying, “This attack has revived the same longstanding concerns—that Pakistan is using terrorism as a state policy. In India, there’s a growing belief that unless there is credible retaliation or deterrence, Pakistan will continue and even escalate its support for terrorism. This cannot be allowed to continue.”
Poonam Sharma
Poonam is a multi-media journalist, and Founder and Editor of Global Strat View. She was the Managing Editor of India America Today (IAT) for seven years, and launched its print edition in 2019 with IAT's Founder and Editor, the late Tejinder Singh.
