U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance has called on Pakistan to assist India in locating those responsible for last month’s Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 people dead.
In an interview on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier, Vance stressed the importance of regional stability, expressing hope that India’s response remains restrained. “If Pakistan bears any responsibility, we expect full cooperation in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” he said.
Vance was in India with his family on a four-day visit when the attack occurred, making this his first public comment on the incident. The massacre, which left 25 tourists and one local dead, is the deadliest in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama attack.
The attack occurred in the scenic meadows of Pahalgam, a remote area that tourists typically reach via pony trails or hiking. The brutality of the assault has drawn international condemnation and significantly escalated India-Pakistan tensions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held talks with both India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, urging Islamabad to support the investigation and help de-escalate the crisis.
At home, India has responded with strong measures. Home Minister Amit Shah vowed a “precise and fitting” response to every act of terrorism, declaring, “This is Narendra Modi’s India—revenge will be taken, one by one.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged unwavering action against the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack, declaring that India will chase the attackers and their supporters “to the ends of the earth.”
India has since downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan, suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled Pakistani military attaches, and shut its airspace to Pakistan flights. The Attari-Wagah border has also been closed, though India on Thursday extended a deadline to allow stranded Pakistani nationals to return.
Pakistan, however, has responded with reciprocal actions, including suspending the Simla Agreement, while not yet allowing Indian citizens to cross into Pakistan.
