The United States government said it is in contact with both India and Pakistan after tensions increased between the two countries. The tensions began after a recent militant attack in Kashmir that killed more than two dozen people. The U.S. State Department urged both countries to work towards a "responsible solution" to avoid further conflict.

In a statement emailed to Reuters, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, "This is an evolving situation, and we are monitoring developments closely. We have been in touch with the governments of India and Pakistan at multiple levels."
The spokesperson also said, "The United States encourages all parties to work together towards a responsible resolution."

The attack happened on April 22 in Indian-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, saying militants came from Pakistan. However, Pakistan has denied this and asked for a neutral investigation into the matter.

The U.S. has openly supported India after the attack. The State Department spokesperson said Washington "stands with India and strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Pahalgam," repeating the earlier words of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

India is becoming an important partner for the United States. The U.S. sees India as a key ally to counter China's growing power in Asia. On the other hand, Pakistan's importance to the U.S. has decreased since the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Experts say the U.S. might stay away from the tensions

Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert based in Washington and a writer for Foreign Policy magazine, said that India is now much closer to the United States than Pakistan.
He said, "This may worry Islamabad that if India retaliates militarily, the U.S. may sympathise with its counter-terrorism imperatives and not try to stand in the way," Kugelman told Reuters.

Kugelman also explained that the U.S. government is already busy with other big international issues, like the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza. Because of this, the Trump administration might not get deeply involved between India and Pakistan immediately. He said the Trump administration is "dealing with a lot on its global plate" and may leave India and Pakistan to manage things on their own, at least in the early days of the tension.

Hussain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. and now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, also said that the United States does not seem very interested in calming the situation this time.
He said, "India has a longstanding grievance about terrorism emanating from or supported by across the border. Pakistan has a longstanding belief that India wants to dismember it. Both work themselves into a frenzy every few years. This time, there is no U.S. interest in calming things down."

Tensions rising between India and Pakistan

Kashmir has been a major issue between India and Pakistan for many years. Both countries claim the region completely, but only control parts of it. They have fought wars over Kashmir in the past.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly reacted to the recent attack. He said that those responsible will be chased "to the ends of the earth" and promised they "will be punished beyond their imagination". Many Indian leaders and the public are also demanding strong military action against Pakistan.

After the attack, relations between the two countries have worsened. Pakistan has closed its airspace for Indian airlines. In response, India has suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which is an important agreement about sharing river waters between the two countries.

(According to reports from Reuters)

You might also be interested in: Researchers shocked to find Ford car in WWII shipwreck of USS Yorktown