Support Indian govt's pursuit of justice: Senator Jim Risch

New York, May 8 (PTI) US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Jim Risch has voiced support for India's efforts to bring the Pahalgam attackers to justice but expressed concern over the escalating tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.

This comes a day after India's armed forces carried out targeted strikes and destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In a post on X on Wednesday, Risch said, "The escalating tension between India and Pakistan is concerning. I support the Indian government's pursuit of justice against the attackers in Pahalgam, but I urge caution and respect for civilians on both sides." Congressman Shri Thanedar voiced strong support for India, saying the country has the right to defend its people.

"I stand firmly with our ally in its efforts to dismantle these extremist networks," he said in a statement.

Terrorism cannot be tolerated and it cannot go unanswered, Thanedar said.

"The United States should always stand with our allies against terrorism. This is a time for deeper US-India cooperation to confront shared threats, protect innocent lives and defend the principles of democracy, human rights and religious freedom," he said.

Fifteen days after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives, the targets of India's 'Operation Sindoor' included the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) stronghold of Bahawalpur in Punjab province that is located over 100 km from the Indian border.

Pakistan's top security body said on Wednesday that the country's armed forces have been duly authorised to undertake retaliation "at a time, place, and manner of its choosing" to avenge the loss of lives in the Indian military strikes. PTI YAS DIV DIV