Pahalgam terror attack: Is US’ statement a setback for India when it is preparing a war with Pakistan? Experts explain

The US has given India the freedom to operate inside Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack. An US expert has said this in his analysis after the latest statement of Vice President JD Vance. The US expert said that Vance’s statement has made it clear that America has no problem with India’s retaliatory action as long as it does not provoke war. That is, US supports India’s small-scale operation inside Pakistan. Vance had advised India to be cautious while reacting to the Pahalgam attack.

Vance clarified US stand on tension

“Vice President Vance has made the US position on the India-Pakistan crisis somewhat clearer,” Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington-based Wilson Center, wrote on X. He further wrote that Vance “in his latest comments appears to acknowledge India’s counterterrorism imperatives and suggests that the US will not oppose India’s response unless it is excessively aggressive.”

What did Vance say?

Vice President JD Vance has said that US hopes that India will respond to the Pahalgam terrorist attack in a way that does not lead to a “broader regional conflict” and expects Pakistan to “cooperate” with New Delhi to “hunt down” militants sometimes operating from their soil. “Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn’t lead to a broader regional conflict,” Vance said on Fox News’s ‘Special Report’.

“And we hope, frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent that they’re responsible, cooperates with India to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with. That’s how we hope this unfolds, we’re obviously in close contact. We’ll see what happens,” Vance said.

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