US Vice President Vance Expresses Hope for Pakistan’s Cooperation with India in Pahalgam Terror Attack Investigation

US Vice-President J.D. Vance has urged Pakistan to work with India in identifying the militants based in Pakistan who carried out last week's deadly attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking in an appearance on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier on Thursday, Vance said, "Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn't lead to a broader regional conflict."

He went on, "And we hope, quite frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent they're accountable, works with India to make sure that the terrorists who occasionally move through their territory are identified and dealt with."

This was the first public comment from Vance on the April 22 attack, which killed 26 civilians. The massacre occurred while he was on a four-day vacation in India with his family — the worst civilian attack in the region since the 2019 Pulwama bombing.

Vance had already condemned the killings on a tweet posted on X with empathy towards victims and their loved ones. What he said today carries significance considering that India-Pakistan relations remain more tense in the aftermath of the incident.

The attack, on a scenic but remote meadow in Pahalgam accessible only on foot or by pony, killed 25 tourists and one local. It was a grim twist to terrorist attacks against civilians in the Kashmir Valley.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also joined in the discussion, meeting individually with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday. His efforts were focused on attempting to gain Pakistani cooperation in the investigation and encouraging both parties to stand down and not take it further.

Back home in India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah issued a stern warning on Thursday, saying that the country would retaliate decisively to acts of terror. “If anyone thinks that a cowardly attack is their victory, they must remember this is Narendra Modi’s India — and revenge will be taken, one by one,” Shah declared.

Prime Minister Modi has also echoed the pledge, vowing to locate and chase to the farthest limits of the globe those who orchestrated the attack and their benefactors.

India has subsequently exacted severe diplomatic reprisal upon Pakistan for the attack. Among some of the measures are the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, ejecting all Pakistani military attaches, barring Pakistani carriers from flying over Indian airspace, and the closing of the Attari-Wagah border point.

Pakistan too took countermeasures of its own, like suspending the Simla Agreement.

While the bilateral relation toughened, India on Thursday extended the deadline for Pakistani nationals to return from the Attari-Wagah border. Pakistan has so far not made a similar concession to Indian citizens who need to cross into the country.