Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked the United States to tell India to "dial down its rhetoric" after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The attack, which happened last week, killed 26 people.

Sharif spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday and made this request during their phone conversation. According to a statement released by his office, Sharif urged the US to tell India to "act responsibly" after the terror attack. He also blamed India for showing "escalatory and provocative behaviour".

Just hours before Sharif made this request, the Pakistani government claimed it had “credible intelligence” that India may soon carry out a military strike against Pakistan.

"India's provocations would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism, particularly from terror groups," Sharif said, as quoted by news agency AFP.

The US State Department also shared information about the phone call. It said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Pakistan to cooperate in investigating the “unconscionable” Pahalgam attack. He also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to reduce tensions and keep peace in South Asia.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave “complete operational freedom” to the Indian armed forces to respond to the Pahalgam attack. This was reported by sources.

Soon after, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar warned India against any action. He said that any act of aggression would be met with a “decisive response” and that India would be held responsible for “any serious consequences in the region”.

Tarar also claimed that Pakistan had “credible intelligence” that India would launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours.

In India, PM Modi held several important meetings after the attack. On Wednesday, he chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), followed by a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA).

This was the second CCS meeting since the April 22 attack in Pahalgam. The CCS includes PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

The second meeting with the CCPA is also very important. The CCPA is called the “super cabinet” because it includes top ministers from the Union Cabinet. It last met in 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack, which was followed by the Balakot airstrike by India.

The current members of the CCPA are PM Modi (Chairperson), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. This committee looks into important political and economic matters of the country.

 

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