U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, on Friday (U.S. local time), amid escalating tensions along the India-Pakistan border, the U.S. Department of State said in statement.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir earlier today. He continued to urge both parties to find ways to de-escalate and offered U.S. assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts,” the State Department said.
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated Washington’s concern over the growing hostilities. “This is something that the secretary of state and of course now our national security adviser as well, Marco Rubio, has been very much involved in. The President wants to see this de-escalate as quickly as possible,” she told reporters.
Leavitt acknowledged the long-standing nature of the conflict and stressed that efforts were ongoing to prevent further escalation.
The diplomatic outreach comes as border tensions continue to flare. On Saturday, the Indian Army reported multiple drone incursions by Pakistan, calling it a “blatant escalation.”
In a post on X, the Ministry of Defence stated, “Pakistan’s continued escalation along the western front through drone incursions and munitions is a matter of grave concern.”
The ministry added that, at approximately 0500 hrs, several armed enemy drones were detected over Khasa Cantt in Amritsar. “Our air defence units responded swiftly, intercepting and neutralising all hostile UAVs. This blatant attempt to violate India’s sovereignty and endanger civilian lives is unacceptable,” it said.
In a separate statement, the Defence Ministry reported drone sightings at 26 locations along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC), including suspected armed drones. The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet, and Lakhi Nala.