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The U.S. State Department confirmed yesterday (April 27, 2025) that Washington is actively engaging with both India and Pakistan as tensions rise following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
While reaffirming strong support for India, U.S. officials have avoided publicly criticizing Pakistan. “This is an evolving situation, and we are monitoring developments closely,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters. “We have been in touch with the governments of India and Pakistan at multiple levels. The United States encourages all parties to work together towards a responsible resolution.”
The spokesperson reiterated Washington’s condemnation of the Pahalgam attack, echoing recent statements by President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, expressing solidarity with India.
India remains a key U.S. partner, especially as Washington seeks to counter China’s influence in Asia. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s strategic importance to the U.S. has diminished since the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst at Foreign Policy magazine, noted that India is now a much closer U.S. ally than Pakistan. He warned Islamabad may worry that U.S. support for India’s counterterrorism efforts could embolden Indian retaliation.
With the Trump administration juggling major global crises — from Ukraine to Gaza — analysts like Kugelman suggest that India and Pakistan may initially be left to manage the crisis themselves.
Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., echoed this sentiment, suggesting there is little U.S. appetite to intervene: “This time, there is no U.S. interest in calming things down.”
Escalating Tensions in South Asia
The Kashmir dispute, long a flashpoint between India and Pakistan, has again erupted into violence. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vow to punish the perpetrators “beyond their imagination,” both sides have taken hardline measures.
Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian flights, while India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty. Cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC) has resumed after four years of relative calm.
A militant group, Kashmir Resistance (linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen), claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.
Former U.S. State Department official Ned Price cautioned that unwavering American support for India could escalate tensions further, warning, “If India feels that the Trump Administration will back it no matter what, we could be in store for more violence between these nuclear-armed neighbors.”
As tensions rise, the world watches closely, hoping diplomacy can prevail over conflict.
