Pahalgam Terror Attack: EU Calls on India, Pakistan to Exercise Restraint as Relations Grow Ten

GG News Bureau
Brussels, 3rd May — As India-Pakistan tensions grow following the fatal Pahalgam terror attack, the European Union has appealed for restraint and diplomacy from the two nuclear powers.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas spoke separately by telephone on Friday with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, expressing grave concern regarding the unfolding events.

“Escalating tensions between India and Pakistan are worrying. I call upon both to exercise restraint and seek dialogue to de-escalate the situation. Escalation serves no one,” Kallas tweeted.

The EU’s intervention comes as speculation grows about possible Indian retaliation against Pakistan, after New Delhi blamed “cross-border linkages” for the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, mostly of domestic tourists. The attack, one of the deadliest in the region in recent years, has sharply heightened tensions along the India-Pakistan border.

Dr. Jaishankar, after talking with Kallas, appreciated the EU’s unambiguously positive response against terrorism. “Good to speak with EU HRVP @kajakallas tonight. Discussed the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Welcome European Union’s strong condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations,” he tweeted on X.

The EU has also followed that of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, on April 30, spoke with Jaishankar as well as Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and appealed to them to move in the direction of de-escalation, illustrating international concern for a military standoff between the neighbors.

New Delhi has asserted that it will provide “severe punishment” to the perpetrators of the Pahalgam massacre. Indian intelligence agencies have identified Pakistan-based terror groups as the masterminds of the attack, further putting bilateral relations under strain.

In the meantime, Islamabad has denied India’s charges, threatening against any “adventurism” along the Line of Control. Pakistan Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, during his talk with Kallas, apparently communicated Islamabad’s readiness to collaborate in investigations but demanded not to be involved in “baseless accusations.”

As both international and regional powers now join the debate, the spotlight is turning towards diplomatic backchannels in a bid to avert a full-scale crisis.

As the cry for restraint increases, everyone is waiting with bated breath for New Delhi’s next step — and whether backdoor diplomacy can prevent another flashpoint between the South Asian arch-rivals.