US urges India, Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’: Pompeo

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WASHINGTON, Feb 27, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint” Tuesday amid soaring tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries, while urging Islamabad to take action against militants.

“We encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost,” Pompeo said in a statement after speaking with the foreign ministers of both countries.

Pompeo said that in talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he stressed “the priority of de-escalating current tensions by avoiding military action, and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil.”