Snub To Ishaq Dar? Why Marco Rubio Ditched His Counterpart, Went Straight To Shehbaz Sharif

Last Updated:May 01, 2025, 14:56 IST

Marco Rubio spoke directly to Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, bypassing Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, a move likely reflecting US' disapproval of Dar's controversial remarks.

Marco Rubio/Ishaq Dar/Shehbaz Sharif (Photos: AP)

Hours after the United States encouraged India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, questions are being raised on why Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directly, rather than speaking to his counterpart, Ishaq Dar.

A statement by State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that Rubio dialled India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan PM Sharif, and reaffirmed his commitment to cooperate with the Pahalgam attack probe.

Soon after Bruce’s statement was out, chatter in Pakistan’s power corridor questioned why Rubio chose Sharif, and not Dar, who also happens to be the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Speculations were rife that Rubio chose to speak directly with Sharif because Pakistan has been making baseless claims against India.

ALSO READ | Marco Rubio Tells India To ‘Work With Pakistan’, But Govt Stands Firm On Pahalgam Retaliation

Soon after the Pahalgam terror attack, Dar referred to the perpetrators of the attack as “freedom fighters".

“Those who carried out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam district on April 22 might be freedom fighters," he said on April 24, just two days after 26 tourists were killed in Kashmir’s iconic Pahalgam.

Later, the country’s Federal Minister for Information, Attaullah Tara,r said the Indian government was preparing to launch an attack based on “baseless and concocted allegations" regarding Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack.

In fact, just hours after the incident, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had asserted that the attack was a reaction of those against the Central government in India, from Nagaland to Kashmir, including the unrest in Manipur, and that the attack was “home-grown".

Asif, in one of his bombshell revelations, had admitted to Pakistan’s history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations, and had called it “dirty work" for the West.

If the chatter is to be believed, Asif’s ‘dirty works’ statement, at a time when diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan have sharply escalated, has not gone down well with the US administration.

ALSO READ | Pahalgam Attack: Farooq Abdullah Calls Pakistan ‘Failed State’, Says Kashmiris Suffering Most

RUBIO’s CONVERSATION WITH SHEHBAZ SHARIF, EAM JAISHANKAR

The US Secretary of State, talking to Sharif, reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism.

Rubio also stressed the need to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack and urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating the “unconscionable attack".

In his call with Jaishankar, Rubio expressed his sorrow for the lives lost in the “horrific" terrorist attack in Pahalgam that had killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists.

Meanwhile, Sharif rejected India’s attempt to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack and reiterated Pakistan’s call for an impartial investigation. He also urged the US to press India to refrain from making “inflammatory statements".

Sharif also brought up the Indus Waters Treaty, which he said is the lifeline for 240 million people, and claimed that it contains no provisions for unilateral withdrawal by any party.

ALSO READ | Infiltration Attempts, Firing & LoC Violations: Here’s A Timeline Of Pakistan Terror Module Before Pahalgam Attack

News world Snub To Ishaq Dar? Why Marco Rubio Ditched His Counterpart, Went Straight To Shehbaz Sharif