EU-Pakistan Business Network to launch in May

ISLAMABAD: The United States (US) supports an independent probe into an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, the State Department said on Thursday, amid ongoing strikes between India and Pakistan over the April 22 assault.
New Delhi blamed the attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort town on Pakistan. Islamabad denied the claim and called for a credible, international investigation to ascertain facts about the assault that killed 26 tourists. After initially exchange of diplomatic barbs, India on Wednesday conducted missile strikes in multiple Pakistani cities and killed 31 people, according to Pakistani officials.
Pakistan says it has downed five Indian fighter jets and 29 Israel-made drones, launched from India, this week in retaliation to Indian strikes. New Delhi said it destroyed a Pakistani air defense system in Lahore in response to an air attack. It was difficult to independently verify the claims made by the nuclear-armed arch-foes.
As the ongoing conflict alarmed the world powers, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the US had been engaged with both governments and urged India and Pakistan to work toward a “responsible solution” to the issue, which has led to the worst fighting between the two neighbors in decades.
“There’s a lot already on the record when it comes to our reaction to what’s been happening here,” Bruce said.
“So there’s some discussion that Pakistan wants an independent investigation as to what has happened regarding the terrorist attack, and, of course, what we say to that is we want the perpetrators to be held accountable and are supportive of any efforts to that end.”
Pakistan and India accused each other of launching drone attacks and Islamabad’s defense minister said on the second day of major clashes on Thursday that further retaliation was “increasingly certain.” Two days of fighting has killed nearly four dozen people on both sides.
India is an important partner for Washington, which aims to counter China’s rising influence, while Pakistan remains a US ally despite its diminished importance after Washington’s withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.
Analysts and some former officials have said the US involvement to achieve diplomatic goals in Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza may make Washington leave India and Pakistan on their own in the early days of their tensions, without much direct pressure from the US government.
On Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance said India and Pakistan should de-escalate tensions, but he added that the US could not control the nuclear-armed neighbors and a war between them would be “none of our business.”
“We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can’t control these countries, though,” Vance said in an interview on Fox News.
“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we’re not going to get involved in the middle of war that’s fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it.”
The escalation began soon after the April 22 attack in Kashmir, reviving the decades-old rivalry between the two neighbors who have fought multiple wars, including two over Kashmir, since their independence from British rule in 1947.
“Our hope and our expectation is that this is not going to spiral into a broader regional war or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict,” Vance said.
Washington has held regular talks with both in recent days, including on Thursday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls with Pakistan’s prime minister and India’s foreign minister while urging them to de-escalate and have direct dialogue.
US President Donald Trump has called rising tensions a shame and said he hoped the two countries will stop now after going “tit-for-tat.”
“This administration has made itself clear, that war, the military, more violence is not a solution,” Bruce added. “Diplomacy is a solution, new ideas to stop generational violence and problems.”

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has moved all remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League’s 10 edition to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it announced on Friday, after deadly confrontations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.
Border skirmishes between the two South Asian neighbors have escalated since Wednesday when India conducted missile strikes on multiple locations in Pakistan in response to a deadly attack targeting tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi blames on its neighbor. Islamabad has denied any complicity in the attack.
Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in retaliation to Wednesday’s strikes by India, while 29 Israeli-manufactured Harop drones, launched from India, were downed a day later. Officials have confirmed the killing of nearly 50 people on both sides since Wednesday, in the worst violence in decades between the South Asian neighbors.
Amid the escalating situation, the PCB said the remaining eight fixtures of this year’s PSL, which were previously scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi, Multan and Lahore, will now be staged in the UAE, adding that the new dates and venues of the matches will be shared in due course.
“The PCB has always stood by the position that politics and sports need to be kept apart,” PCB Chair Mohsin Naqvi said.
“However, in view of the extremely irresponsible and dangerous Indian act of targeting the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, which was manifestly done to disrupt the ongoing HBL Pakistan Super League X, the PCB has decided to shift the remaining matches to UAE so that the domestic as well as foreign cricketers, who are our precious guests, can be saved from the possible reckless targeting by India.”
The PCB postponed a PSL X match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings, which was due to take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday after Pakistan shot down an Indian drone near the venue.
As a responsible organization, Naqvi said, it was important for the PCB to ensure the mental well-being of all players participating in the league.
“I regret that our domestic audience and cricket lovers will not be able to watch these matches in Pakistan’s stadiums,” he said.
“Like in the past, we hope that our stakeholders will rally with us to further the best interests of the tournament, our players and the fans. We are committed to ensuring that the league continues to thrive!“
Separately, an Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala — less than 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the town of Jammu where explosions were reported hours earlier — was also abandoned Thursday because of apparent floodlight failure.