US Secy Of State Rubio Dials Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir After Ballistic Missiles Fired At India
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Pakistan fired a number of ballistic missiles at India, one of them was aimed at New Delhi. All of them were taken down by the Indian military.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dialled Pakistani army chief Asim Munir after Islamabad resorted to launching Ballistic missiles aimed at New Delhi, shortly after an IMF bailout of $1 billion was approved for Pakistan, Reuters reported.
Pakistan went on an unprecedented offensive soon after the global moneylender nodded the immediate disbursement of about $1 billion to Islamabad under the ongoing Extended Fund Facility, despite India's strong opposition to these funds that were being used to spread cross-border terrorism.
State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Rubio urged both India and Pakistan to de-escalate and offered US assistance in talks.
'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," Bruce said in a statement.
Pakistan, which initially fired small drones into the Indian territory before the IMF executive board meeting, stepped up the attack and fired six ballistic missiles at India, one of them aimed at New Delhi but was shot down in Haryana's Sirsa. All of the missiles were successfully shot down, sources said.
Escalating the situation, Pakistan launched Fatah-II ballistic missiles at Indian Air Force forward bases and cities in India as they launched 'Operation Bunyanun Marsoos' on Saturday.
The Indian government sources said that Pakistan dared to set on the misadventure after the IMF bailout, as they did not want to jeopardise the deal.
'Pakistan did not want its IMF bailout to be jeopardised in any way. Hence, their big escalation has come post that. Pakistan also cleared its airspace on Saturday morning, unlike Friday, indicating it waited for the IMF bailout before launching its big operation, which has been foiled by India," sources said.
Responding efficiently to Pakistan's unprovoked attack, India struck back at multiple key cities, including Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, among others.
India, under Operation Sindoor, hit Pakistan's air force bases in Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, Rafiqi Airbase in Punjab's Shorkot, and Murid Airbase in Punjab's Chakwal, inflicting major losses to Pakistan's military arsenal.
First Published:
May 10, 2025, 08:45 IST
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