Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, said on Thursday that India and Pakistan have had contacts at the level of their respective National Security Councils (NSC).
His comments came during an interview with CNN, where he was asked whether the nuclear-armed neighbours had any ongoing lines of communication.
“I think there have been contact at the level of NSCs, but then this escalation, both in terms of the actions that have been taken and in terms of rhetoric that is coming out, has to stop,” Sheikh said in the interview without providing details about the contacts.
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“Now the responsibility for de-escalation is on India, but there are constraints on restraint. Pakistan reserves the right to respond back. There is enough pressure from our public opinion on the government to respond,” Sheikh added.
Earlier on Thursday, Secretary of State Rubio spoke separately with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, emphasising the need for immediate de-escalation.
In his call with Jaishankar, Rubio expressed US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications.
He reiterated his condolences for the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam and reaffirmed the US’ commitment to work with India in the fight against terrorism.
In his conversation with Sharif, Rubio reiterated his calls for Pakistan to take concrete steps to end any support for terrorist groups.
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Pakistan on Thursday escalated the tensed situation to a dangerous level by firing a swarm of drones and missiles into India. Areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan saw attacks and blackouts. Pakistan has lost fighter jets and an Airborne Warning and Control System as India activated its air defence system.
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with inputs from Reuters
