U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said he was monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan ‘closely’, hours after the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor‘ targeting terrorist hotbeds at various locations inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).
Rubio said he will continue to engage with the leadership of both nations to reach a peaceful resolution.
Rubio wrote on X: “I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo @POTUS’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.”
NSA Doval Speaks With Rubio
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in the U.S. said Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval spoke with his U.S. counterpart and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and briefed him on the actions taken.
“It was expected that Pakistan would take action against terrorists and the infrastructure that supports them. Instead, during the fortnight that has gone by, Pakistan has indulged in denial and made allegations of false flag operations against India,” the statement said.
“India’s actions have been focused and precise. They were measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terror camps were targeted,” it said.
“Shortly after the strikes, NSA Ajit Doval spoke with U.S. NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and briefed him on the actions taken,” the statement said.
Operation Sindoor
The Indian Armed Forces, early on Wednesday, launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting terrorist camps at various locations inside Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), to avenge the Pahalgam terrorist attack, in which 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, were killed on April 22.
“A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed,” the Ministry of Defence said in a media release.
According to a statement by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the operation was carried out a short while ago and aimed at neutralising terror camps actively involved in planning and executing attacks against India. A total of nine sites have been hit during the strike.
Officials said the strikes were focused, measured, and non-escalatory, deliberately avoiding any Pakistani military installations. “India has shown significant restraint both in the selection of targets and the method of execution,” the statement added.
Pahalgam Attack
Twenty-six men, mostly non-Muslim tourists, were killed by terrorists in Baisaran meadows, a popular destination in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, on April 22.
The terrorists- belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)- asked the victims to chant Islamic verses (kalma) and made them pull down their pants to be sure of their their non-Muslim religious identities (read circumcision) before gunning them down before their families, including wives, children and daughters.
The massacre triggered nationwide outrage and escalated India-Pakistan tensions as New Delhi vowed to avenge the killings.
(With inputs from IBNS)
