In phone call with Gen Munir, US top diplomat Rubio urges restraint, de-escalation
Rubio’s call comes amid heightened tensions.
US wants to help avoid future conflicts.
Pakistan launches operation against India.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Saturday and urged both Pakistan and India to find ways to de-escalate, a US Department of State spokesperson said.
Rubio also offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts, the spokesperson said.
In phone call with Gen Munir, US top diplomat Rubio urges restraint, de-escalation Pakistan said it launched a military operation against India early on Saturday, targeting multiple military bases, including a missile storage site in northern India, as the neighbours extended their worst fighting in nearly three decades.
The two South Asian countries have exchanged fire since Wednesday, when India launched air strikes in Pakistani territory after a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam — a tourist spot.
The clashes — which have involved missiles, drones, and exchanges of fire along the Line of Control (LoC) — are the worst in decades and have killed more than 50 people.
“BrahMos storage site has been taken out in the general area Beas,” the ISPR said, adding that the Pathankot airfield in India’s western Punjab state and Udhampur Air Force Station in Indian Kashmir were also hit.
Pakistan’s information minister said in a post on the social media site X that the military operation was named “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”. The term is taken from the Holy Quran and means a firm, united structure.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on local television that “special measures” had been taken to avoid civilian targets and that they were targeting locations that had been used to target Pakistan.
Additionally, US Secretary of State Rubio also contacted Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, urging restraint amid the ongoing tensions with India.
Geo News anchor Shahzeb Khanzada, citing sources, reported that Dar told his American counterpart Pakistan is ready to seek a resolution if India halts further action. However, he made it clear that if India continues its aggression, Pakistan will respond with even greater force.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also called a meeting of the National Command Authority, a top body of civilian and military officials, which oversees decisions on its nuclear arsenal.
Ahead of the attack, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry in a live broadcast in the middle of the night said India had “attacked with missiles” targeting three air bases.
He said a “majority of the missiles” had been intercepted and “no flying assets” had been damaged.
One of the bases targeted, Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi, the garrison city where the army is headquartered, is around 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the capital Islamabad. Several blasts were heard from the capital overnight.
The air base is used to receive foreign dignitaries, and Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir had departed just hours earlier.
“Now you just wait for our response,” Chaudhry warned India.