Pahalgam attack news live updates: JD Vance hopes for Pakistan’s cooperation to probe terror attack

Anticipating a military response from India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly granted the armed forces “complete operational freedom,” the Pakistan Army rushed its reinforcements to bolster its posture along the LoC.

It also resorted to unprovoked firing during the intervening night of May 1-2 along several locations across the border.

The United States continued to back India’s fight against terror after the April 22 Pahalgam attack as top officials, including Vice President JD Vance, spoke in support of New Delhi. The diplomatic support comes as tensions continue to rise between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in the wake of continued ceasefire violations by Pakistan for over a week.

Vance hoped for Pakistan’s cooperation in bringing the perpetrators of the attack to justice, and that India’s response to the recent Islamist militant attack that killed 26 people would not lead to a broader regional conflict.

“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,” Vance said in an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” show.

Separately, external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said he discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and called for justice for those responsible. Rubio reaffirmed the US’s commitment to collaborating with India in the fight against terrorism and expressed sorrow over the “horrific terrorist attack” in Pahalgam.

Also on Thursday, defence minister Rajnath Singh spoke to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, during which the latter reportedly said the US stands in solidarity with India and supports India’s right to defend itself. The BJP leader told Hegseth that Pakistan has been “exposed” as a “rogue” state fuelling global terrorism, and “destabilising” the region.

Pahalgam attack | Key updates

• To speed up its probe into the attack, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday revisited the Baisaran meadow for three-dimensional, or 3d, mapping of the site based on the statements of witnesses.

• The Indian Navy intensified operations in the Arabian Sea within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), conducting extensive naval exercises. Its warships have also been placed high alert amid back-to-back security review meetings in New Delhi.

• Union Home minister Amit Shah on Thursday said during an event in Delhi that the government will hunt down those behind the terrorist attack and the terrorists will have to answer for the heinous act.

• Stories of those who survived the attack also made headlines. Himanshi Narwal, the wife of an Indian Navy lieutenant, Vinay Narwal, who was killed in Pahalgam, said that people who have done wrong to her husband should be punished. “We don’t want people going after Muslims and Kashmiris,” she said amid reports of allegedly targeted harassment from a few parts of the country.