US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif amid growing tension with India after the death of 26 people in the Pahalgam attack last week.
Earlier, US State Ministry spokesman Tami Bruce said at a press conference on Tuesday that the US was contacting both India and Pakistan regarding the situation in Kashmir and asking them not to further increase the tension.
Bruce also said that Rubio can talk to the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India by today or tomorrow. ” A press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office of Pakistan said that Sharif informed the US Secretary of State about the recent development in South Asia after the Pahalgam terror attack.
The release said that Sharif referred to Pakistan’s significant contribution to the global fight against terrorism and claimed that more than 90,000 people in the country were sacrificed and economic loss of over US $ 152 billion.
The Prime Minister claimed that Indian provocation helps to divert attention from Pakistan’s efforts to fight terrorism, especially Afghans active on the earth.
Sharif also rejected India’s effort to connect Pakistan with the attack and reiterated Pakistan’s demand to investigate the matter. He has urged the US to pressurize India to avoid inflammatory statements.
Sharif also raised the issue of Indus Water Treaty and said that the water under the treaty is a lifeline for 24 million people. He claimed that there was no provision in the treaty to retreat unilaterally by any party.
