The Group of Seven (G7) nations on Friday called on India and Pakistan to hold direct talks amid escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, while the U.S. government announced it has offered to help initiate “constructive dialogue” between the two sides.
World powers have raised the alarm over the latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry.
India hit multiple terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) with air strikes and missiles on Wednesday, and since then, both countries have been clashing daily. Dozens have been killed.
US Urges De-Escalation
Among the G7 powers, the U.S. has held regular talks with both India and Pakistan in recent days and urged them to de-escalate.
After a call on Friday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, the U.S. State Department said Rubio offered U.S. assistance “in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts.”
Rubio has also held regular calls with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar since the end of April.
U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the rising tensions were a shame.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said a war between the two countries would be “none of our business.”
In recent years, India has been seen as an important partner by Western powers as a counter-balance to China’s rising influence.
Pakistan is a U.S. ally, although its importance has diminished since Washington’s 2021 withdrawal from neighbouring Afghanistan.
Pahalgam Attack ‘Strongly Condemned’
In a statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.S., Britain and the European Union said they “strongly condemn” the April 22 terrorist attack in which 26 people, all men and mostly Hindu tourists, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
India blamed Pakistan, which denied the accusations and called for a neutral probe.
“We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome,” the G7 statement said.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled only in part by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan. It has been the site of wars, insurgency and diplomatic stand-offs over the decades.
Pakistan said this week that New Delhi and Islamabad have had contacts at the level of their respective national security councils.
(With inputs from Reuters)
