Did alarming intelligence compel US to intervene in India-Pakistan conflict?
US Vice President JD Vance contacted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after getting “alarming intelligence” on Friday, May 9, that sought greater US involvement in the rising India-Pakistan conflict, reported CNN, citing Trump administration insiders.
After briefing US President Donald Trump on the proposal, Vance contacted Modi, according to the sources, who refused to go into detail on the specifics of the information due to the sensitive nature of it.(REUTERS)
The report claimed that when the US received the information, a core group of senior US officials, including Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Secretary of State and Interim National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, had been keeping a careful eye on the growing tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Here’s why US intervened
After briefing US President Donald Trump on the proposal, Vance contacted Modi, according to the sources, who refused to go into detail on the specifics of the information due to the sensitive nature of it.
According to US government sources, Vance made it apparent to PM Modi that the White House believed there was a higher chance the situation would escalate dramatically as it continued into the weekend.
Vance urged Modi to have his nation speak with Pakistan directly and to think about de-escalation measures, the officials added.
The officials stated that the US deemed that India and Pakistan were not communicating at that time, and it was required to get the nuclear-armed neighbors back to the negotiating table.
The officials did not provide specifics, but claimed that Vance also presented PM Modi with a possible off-ramp that the US believed the Pakistanis would accept.
Also Read: ‘Vance and I…’: Marco Rubio reveals how India-Pakistan agreed to ceasefire
Marco Rubio’s role in de-escalating India-Pakistan tension
According to the sources who spoke to CNN, Rubio and other State Department officials started corresponding over the phone with their Indian and Pakistani counterparts after Vance-Modi call.
Rubio and representatives of the State Department reportedly “worked through the night” communicating with their Indian and Pakistani colleagues.
The Trump administration’s main responsibility was to facilitate communication between the parties and not design the ceasefire agreement, insiders told CNN.
As Vance visited India last month, insiders said, Trump aides thought his connection with PM Modi would play a major role during the call.
Modi’s remark that the war was “none of our business,” dismissing the possibility of US intervention, was made the day before Vance’s call with him.
Vance called Modi only one day after the US VP dismissed the India-Pakistan crisis as “none of our business,” indicating the US will not intervene.
On May 10, India and Pakistan reached a ceasefire agreement following days of fierce military combat. The ceasefire was announced amid growing concerns that the dispute would turn into a larger conflict.
