'None of our business': Vance says US won't get involved between India, Pak

Vice President JD Vance said on Friday (IST) that the US will not get involved in a war that’s fundamentally not its business.

 

In an interview with Fox News, Vance further stated that while the US cannot control India and Pakistan, it can encourage the two nuclear-armed neighbours to de-escalate.

 

His remarks come at a time when the tensions between India and Pakistan have been escalating, after the Indian armed forces launched a coordinated missile strike on terrorist infrastructure at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) under the code name ‘Operation Sindoor’ in the early hours of Wednesday.

 

US calls for de-escalation

 

When asked how the tensions between India and Pakistan concern US President Donald Trump's administration, Vance noted, "We can't control these countries, though. Fundamentally, India has its gripes with Pakistan. Pakistan has responded to India. What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit. But we're not going to get involved in the middle of the war, that's fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America's ability to control it."

 

He also added, "America can't tell the Indians to lay down their arms. We can't tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. And so we're going to continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels. Our hope and we expect that this is not going to spiral into a broader regional war or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict, but sure, we're worried about these things."

 

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke separately with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and highlighted the immediate need for de-escalation. He also expressed direct support of the US for dialogue between the two neighbours. Further, he reiterated his call for Pakistan to take strict steps to end support for terrorist groups.

 

Operation Sindoor

 

India's Operation Sindoor was carried out in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, including one Nepali citizen, at Baisaran valley. Following the attack, the diplomatic ties between the two neighbours were downgraded, and tensions have been escalating since then. After the May 7 attack, Pakistan resorted to heavy artillery shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), especially in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the death of 16 civilians.

 

India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held a press briefing on Thursday and reiterated that only terrorist infrastructures were attacked. He described the missile strikes as a "legitimate and necessary response"  in the exercise of India’s right to self-defence.