US Secretary of State Rubio dials Pak Army Chief Asim Munir directly

New Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio established a direct communication with Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir on Saturday, amid a rapidly escalating conflict between India and Pakistan. 

The call, which bypassed Pakistan’s civilian leadership, signals the gravity of the crisis.

The US Department of State’s readout of the call revealed that Rubio urged both nations to de-escalate and offered assistance in initiating "constructive talks" to avert further conflict. 

However, from India’s perspective, this diplomatic outreach comes against the backdrop of Pakistan’s repeated provocations, including its alleged support for terrorism in Kashmir and recent military actions along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border dividing Indian- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The current crisis was triggered by a deadly terrorist attack on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 Indian nationals and one Nepalese tourist—the deadliest such incident since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. 

The call took place as India destroyed four airbases in Pakistan on early Saturday following continued drone and missile attacks from Pakistan.