India-US Defence Talks: India and the US are staying in regular contact after the terrible terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 people, mostly tourists, lost their lives. After External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to US counterpart Marco Rubio, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also had a phone call with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. This was confirmed by India’s Defence Ministry, reported TOI. These talks come at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan have grown a lot.
Pakistan’s military has been building up troops near the border. It has deployed air defence systems and artillery units in forward areas. On Tuesday, top military officers from India and Pakistan spoke through their hotline about the ceasefire violations from the Pakistani side.
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Indian defence sources said India clearly warned Pakistan not to continue these unprovoked firings along the Line of Control and International Border. Indian forces also gave a strong response to the firing that happened during the night of April 27 and 28 near Kupwara and Poonch districts.
India-US Defence Talks
During his call with Marco Rubio, Jaishankar talked about the attack in Pahalgam and said that the ones who did this, supported it, or planned it must face justice. He later wrote on X, “Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with US @SecRubio yesterday. Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice.”
The U.S. Secretary of Defence @PeteHegseth spoke to Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh earlier today and expressed his deepest sympathies for the tragic loss of innocent civilians in the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.
Secretary Hegseth said that the U.S.…
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) May 1, 2025
Rubio also said the US is deeply sorry for the people killed in this horrible act of terrorism and wants to support India in the fight against such threats. According to the US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Rubio also said that both India and Pakistan should try to bring down tensions and keep peace in South Asia.
Since the April 22 attack, India has already taken many steps in response. These include suspending the Indus Water Treaty temporarily, closing the Integrated Check Post at Attari, and reducing staff strength at High Commissions. The Indian government is making it clear that it will not tolerate support for terrorism from across the border.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting on April 29 with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also joined the meeting. This came a few days after the Cabinet Committee on Security also met on April 23 following the Pahalgam incident.
Sources from the government said PM Modi strongly stated that India is fully committed to destroying terrorism. He said he had full trust in the Indian Armed Forces and their professional skills. PM Modi also said that the armed forces had complete freedom to choose how and when to respond to the attack, including the targets.
