US Urges India-Pak De-escalation After Strikes

US Urges Restraint as India-Pakistan Tensions Surge Amid Missile and Drone Escalation”

 

 

In a stark reminder of the fragility that underpins the subcontinent’s security architecture, the United States has called for “immediate de-escalation” between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan following a night of missile and drone attacks launched from across the Line of Control.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a telephonic conversation with External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on Thursday, expressed Washington’s support for direct engagement between New Delhi and Islamabad. The call, held just hours before Pakistan initiated a wave of air and missile strikes against Indian targets, signals growing American unease over the volatile trajectory of South Asia’s strategic balance.

Secretary Rubio reiterated his condolences over the Pahalgam terrorist attack—an incident that has stirred national outrage within India—and reaffirmed the United States' solidarity with New Delhi in its counter-terrorism efforts. “The Secretary emphasised the need for immediate de-escalation. He encouraged direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and greater efforts to maintain lines of communication,” said US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce in a late-night briefing.

The urgency of Rubio’s remarks came into sharper focus as air raid sirens wailed across northern India—Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir—on Thursday night. In scenes evocative of Cold War-era air defence drills, authorities enforced citywide blackouts in critical regions to shield both civilian populations and strategic infrastructure.

According to Indian defence sources, at least eight Pakistani missiles were intercepted over Jammu and Kashmir alone, in what appears to be a measured but bold response by Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack. The Pathankot air base, a known strategic asset located mere kilometres from the international border, was placed under high alert alongside Chandigarh, a key command hub less than 250 kilometres from the national capital.

Visuals circulated by local residents on social media depicted harrowing night skies lit up by interception trails—believed to be from India’s S-400 Triumf air defence systems—detonating incoming missiles mid-air. Sources indicate one Pakistani fighter aircraft, reportedly an American-origin F-16, was downed during the engagement, though official confirmation remains pending.

This latest exchange follows an earlier, extensive missile barrage late Wednesday night, which targeted military infrastructure in upwards of 15 Indian cities including Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar. Defence officials confirmed that Indian air defence capabilities responded robustly, neutralising multiple threats without incurring civilian or strategic losses.

For Washington, the intensifying India-Pakistan military exchanges present a dual challenge: upholding its counterterrorism partnership with New Delhi while preventing a catastrophic escalation between two regional powers with nuclear capabilities. While the Biden administration has invested heavily in cultivating Indo-Pacific partnerships through forums like QUAD, maintaining a diplomatic bridge between Delhi and Islamabad remains a strategic imperative.

The fresh hostilities also revive uncomfortable questions about deterrence stability on the subcontinent. Despite American security assurances and backchannel diplomacy, both India and Pakistan appear locked in a cycle of retaliation, driven by long-standing grievances and the strategic mistrust that has defined their bilateral relations since Partition.

As tensions mount, New Delhi will likely be weighing its next moves carefully—balancing domestic political pressure for retaliation against international calls for calm. For its part, Washington has again assumed the role of crisis manager in a region where diplomacy often plays catch-up to events on the ground.