US' big move amid rising India-Pak tensions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dials Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, says...

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday spoke with Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir and urged for de-escalation with India amid heightened tensions between the two neighbouring countries, according to an official statement from the US Department of State.

'As quickly as possible'
According to the Department of State, "Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir earlier today. He continued to urge both parties to find ways to deescalate and offered U.S. assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts."
Earlier, US White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the US intends to de-escalate the tensions between both the countries. Leavitt said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in talks with the leaders of both nations to de-escalate. "This is something that the secretary of state and of course now our national security adviser as well, Marco Rubio, has been very much involved in. The President wants to see this de-escalate as quickly as possible," she said.

Pak's attempted drone attacks
Over the last two nights, Pakistan has attempted drone and missile attacks in several locations across India. According to an official Defence Ministry release, drones were sighted at 26 locations across northern and western parts of India on Friday night. The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet, and Lakhi Nala.

India-Pak conflict
Tensions between India and Pakistan have skyrocketed since the Pahalgam attack of April 22 wherein 26 people, most of them tourists from across India, were gunned down by terrorists. After a flurry of diplomatic actions, India launched coordinated missile strikes on terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir earlier this week, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh saying that 100 terrorists were killed in the attack. New Delhi says the attack in Pahalgam was planned and executed by terrorists associated with groups based out of Pakistan.