WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: US Vice President JD Vance has made it clear that the United States will not involve itself militarily in the ongoing escalation between Pakistan and India, describing the conflict as “fundamentally none of our business.”
In an interview with Fox News, Vance emphasized that although the US continues to urge both sides to exercise restraint, it has no intention of stepping into a conflict it cannot control.
“We’re not going to get involved in the middle of a war that has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it,” he said.
Vance’s remarks come days after India launched a series of coordinated missile, air, and drone strikes on Pakistani territory, targeting cities in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir during the night of May 6–7. Among the cities hit were Sialkot, Bahawalpur, Shakargarh, Muridke, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Indian aggression killed at least 31 civilians, including women and children, and left 71 injured. Several mosques, a hydropower station, and residential neighborhoods were also damaged.
In response, Pakistan launched a measured retaliatory campaign, downing five Indian fighter jets—including three Rafale aircraft, a MiG-29, and an SU-series jet—as well as one Israeli-made Heron combat drone. The aircraft were reportedly shot down over Bhatinda, Jammu, Akhnoor, Srinagar, and Avantipur.
Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) subsequently authorized its armed forces to respond decisively to what it termed India’s “unprovoked aggression.”
On Thursday, Pakistan’s military reported the interception and destruction of 30 additional Israeli-made Harop drones sent by India. The ISPR confirmed the drones were neutralized over several major Pakistani cities, including Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Sheikhupura, and Nankana Sahib.
The developments mark a serious escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, with civilian casualties mounting and international calls for de-escalation intensifying. Despite that, the Biden administration—via Vice President Vance—has made its position of non-intervention abundantly clear.
