Amid the extremely charged atmosphere following the Pahalgam terror attack, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday spoke to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, PTI reported, citing official sources. According to the report, the terror attack, which killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists and led to a diplomatic showdown with Pakistan, is believed to have figured in the phone conversation.The conversation between the top defence officials of India and US came a day after the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia. Rubio also spoke separately with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and stressed the need to condemn the terror attack and urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating “this unconscionable attack.”Following the Pahalgam attack, the deadliest in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019, India downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan and announced a raft of measures, including suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.
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