WASHINGTON: In a diplomatic blow to Pakistan, the United States (US), India, Australia and Japan “condemned” the Pahalgam attack that took place in Indian-occupied Kashmir, on Tuesday.
The joint statement was issued during a high-level meeting in the US capital, Washington, where the four states – collectively known as the Quad – had gathered to discuss efforts to counter China.
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The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted officials from India, Australia and Japan. While discussions primarily concentrated on geopolitical issues in the Indo-Pacific region, the foreign ministers of all four states commented on the attack in the Indian-occupied Kashmir.
The Quad stated they were “deep[ly] concerned” about the attack. They called for those “responsible” to be brought to justice.
In the joint statement, the FMs called for accountability and for the ‘perpetrators’, ‘organisers’ and ‘financiers’ of the attack to face justice.
The choice of word is certainly interesting, with the Quad members specifically mentioning the words “financiers” and “organisers”.
The April 22 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, has been used by India to accuse Pakistan of funding terrorism in the occupied territory.
Five gunmen had shot dead 26 tourists in the valley, primarily men. Indian-occupied Kashmir is one of the most militarised region in the world, with a report stating as many as 500,000 Indian troops were stationed in the region.
Indian officials were quick to lay the blame for a lapse in its security on Pakistan, accusing its neighbour of harbouring militants. The right-wing Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, literally claimed the attack as “cross-border terrorism”.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs called for an international condemnation of the event, hinting at the right-wing government’s intention of using the incident against Pakistan at the international arena.
Pakistan denied the allegations, due to lack of evidence. It also called for a neutral probe into the matter.
Several international actors had been pretty neutral on the incident. Even the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an impartial investigation into the incident, but no one outright accused Pakistan of involvement.
However, the latest joint statement issued by the US and its Indo-Pacific partners took a firmer stance, indirectly aligning with India. The Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar even cheerfully dubbed the meeting as “very productive”.
While the US shift to India in recent years to counter China has been obvious, with the growing market in economically strong India of considerable interest to Western companies, the North American country had handled the relations pretty neutrally in recent months.
To Indian dismay, the US President Trump invited Pakistan army chief for a formal lunch, a rare occurrence for a sitting US president to avoid a foreign military ruler to the White House.
However, the joint statement shows that the US eagerness to counter China taking precedence from now on. Inviting the army chief to the White House is significant, but it came at the heels of Israel-Iran War that has more or less resolved itself for now.
With the announcement of Gaza ceasefire just today, Pakistan might be sliding back in importance to the US yet again.
While this could end up being inconsequential in itself, India’s growing influence with the Western states should concern Pakistan.
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It has become the fifth largest economy in the world, and the US is eager to align with it in order to contain China. Even the EU, in the face of tariffs and soured relations with the Trump administration, is seeking better trade, among other, relations with India.
In contrast, Pakistan is dealing with a resurgence in militancy, insurgency on its western borders, and a limping economy barely held together by stringent IMF loans. Pakistan at present has little room to manoeuvre and needs to rely on diplomacy to counter India, who continues its relentless pursuit of isolating its western neighbour