NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks with Vinay Kwatra, Indian ambassador to the U.S., concerning the violent battle between India and Pakistan.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
What’s the precise solution to describe the state of affairs unfolding proper now between India and Pakistan? Disaster? Brink of all-out battle? Nicely, right here is the language Pakistan’s navy spokesman, Lieutenant Common Ahmed Sharif, selected this week as his nation shot down Indian drones which he says had been flying over main Pakistani cities, together with Karachi and Lahore.
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AHMED SHARIF: This bare aggression continues, and the armed forces are on excessive diploma of alert and neutralizing them as we converse. It is a severe, severe provocation.
KELLY: Now, it is value noting that is the most recent escalation in a battle that has run for many years. The spark? A militant assault final month in Indian-administered Kashmir. Gunmen opened fireplace on vacationers in a meadow killing 26. India has blamed Pakistan for that assault. And after I sat down with Vinay Kwatra, India’s ambassador to the U.S., in our studios as we speak, I requested about that declare and whether or not India has proof to help it.
VINAY KWATRA: We’ve blamed terrorists with clear hyperlinks, help, sponsorship and coaching factories in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
KELLY: Do you may have proof?
KWATRA: I’d – should you permit me, I’d need to make clear this in your viewers when it comes to this angle. So 22 April, killing of 26 civilian in presence of their wives, presence of their kids – harmless kids – was the primary set off, was the unique the place it began. So what we did – what India did on 6, 7, Could 9, was truly a really calibrated, measured, proportionate response. From our perspective, that introduced the finality to the 22 April query.
KELLY: You are saying what India did…
KWATRA: We did…
KELLY: …Was in response.
KWATRA: …In response. If…
KELLY: So to push you on this, do you may have proof? You are saying this was state sponsored, that there are hyperlinks…
KWATRA: Yeah.
KELLY: …To Pakistan’s officers…
KWATRA: Yeah.
KELLY: …To Pakistan’s authorities. Do you may have proof?
KWATRA: Yeah. You aren’t in any respect pushing me. I feel it is a pretty legitimate query to ask. We’ve ample of proof which – we’ve very clear communication nodes that go into Pakistan, that hyperlink to Pakistan. We’ve eyewitness evidences of the 4 terrorists. We’ve loads of intelligence-based inputs which can be found, which, in fullness of time, would come out. However we’ve loads of proof to determine that these terrorists had been based mostly, supported, skilled in Pakistan. I feel…
KELLY: Have you ever proven this proof to Pakistan? Have you ever given them an opportunity to reply?
KWATRA: Yeah. We’ve gone by means of that story many occasions earlier than. I will provide the most dastardly instance of 2008 26/11. That is our 9/11. India’s 9/11 Mumbai terror assaults wherein a number of American nationals had been additionally brutally killed. We went truly far past sharing the proof. We co-opted them into the investigation course of. And after some time, they mentioned, look, this has – no. So we do not assume it might actually serve any function. We’ve very clearly established. So let me, if I can full that…
KELLY: You do not imagine that displaying the proof to Pakistan on this second…
KWATRA: Yeah.
KELLY: …Would full any function? That is what you are saying?
KWATRA: No, I do not assume it would serve actually any function.
KELLY: I did need to push you on what India’s goal is…
KWATRA: Oh, sure.
KELLY: …What the tip recreation is for the strikes this week as a result of as you your self have acknowledged, the militant assaults have continued. They haven’t been deterred when India has struck again prior to now.
KWATRA: Yeah, however we’re a accountable nation. We do not harbor terrorists. We do not prepare them. We do not equip them. We do not use them as an instrument of state coverage. So after we launched assault on 6, 7 Could, from our intent, functions, aims, we had met our goal by attacking these terrorist camp. However then on the night time of seven, 8 Could, Pakistan began one other spherical of assault, so we had to answer that. Yesterday night time, midnight, this morning, they began one other spherical of assault. So should you return to 22 April…
KELLY: I perceive each side are taking pictures and attacking throughout the border.
KWATRA: No, not each. They’re beginning. We’re responding. They began with 22 April. We responded. We closed the matter. They once more began one thing. We responded. We closed the matter. They once more began as we speak. We responded. We’ve closed.
KELLY: I am – we’re one another, and I am smiling as a result of my guess is, if Pakistan’s ambassador had been sitting subsequent to you, he would say, no, they began it. We responded. They began it. The query is, what is the off ramp? How does it finish?
KWATRA: OK. From our perspective, our easy goal, intent and function behind this was to carry terrorists to justice, maintain them accountable and in addition carry justice to the victims. From our perspective, that is a restricted side. I’m solely involved about Pakistan to the extent they prepare these terrorists. And we’ve been completely nonprovocative. It is designed to be nonescalatory. We’re not doing warmongering. We’re not calling it bare aggression. We’re not saying we’re nuclear energy (ph).
KELLY: What function, if any, do you see, ambassador, for the U.S.? And I am asking as a result of U.S. Vice President JD Vance says, that is none of our enterprise. He gave an interview yesterday to Fox in when he mentioned this.
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VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: We’re not going to become involved in the course of a battle that is essentially none of our enterprise and has nothing to do with America’s capacity to regulate it.
KELLY: He is responding to requires the U.S. or somebody to become involved and assist mediate an off ramp to this. Would you like the U.S. to become involved?
KWATRA: Positive. So first up, we’ve been completely overwhelmed by the sort of help that India has obtained within the condemnation of those terrorist assault and condolences. President Trump was the primary world chief to name Prime Minister Modi. After we launched our response to the 22 April assault, my nationwide safety advisor spoke to interim Nationwide Safety Advisor and Secretary of State Rubio. So we’ve been in strong communication, and we’ve…
KELLY: Would you wish to…
KWATRA: Yeah.
KELLY: …Have a extra strong function…
KWATRA: I used to be coming – I used to be coming to that.
KELLY: …Of america…
KWATRA: I used to be coming to that. And what we’ve informed them is that the U.S. would do the entire world an awesome service by telling Pakistan to cease supporting its actions and cease supporting terrorism. So I feel U.S. can impress upon Pakistan to essentially cease its help to the terrorism, and that might be, as I mentioned, an awesome service as a result of our curiosity is barely that. Our curiosity is nothing else there.
KELLY: It doesn’t sound as if the White Home is inclined to become involved, so the U.S. is inclined to become involved (ph). Do you want the U.S. or some exterior mediator to stop this from spiraling additional uncontrolled?
KWATRA: We want the U.S. and the entire world wants the U.S. to inform Pakistan to cease its help to terrorism. That is my crisp message.
KELLY: Vinay Kwatra is India’s ambassador to the U.S. Thanks very a lot for coming in.
KWATRA: Thanks a lot for having me in your present. Actually respect it. Thanks.
KELLY: And we’ve additionally invited Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S. for an interview. We hope to carry you that dialog Monday on Morning Version.
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