major countries also urged the Asian neighbors to engage in direct dialogue amid heightened hostilities.

World powers have raised the alarm over the latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry. India hit Pakistan with air strikes and missiles on Wednesday and since then the nuclear-armed countries have been clashing daily while launching strikes against each other's military installations on Saturday. Dozens have been killed.

The U.S., especially Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has held regular talks with both India and Pakistan since  April and urged them to de-escalate. The U.S. State Department late on Friday and early Saturday released three statements on Rubio's calls with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, and the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan. It said Rubio urged them to "re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation" while offering U.S. assistance "in starting constructive talks" to avoid future conflicts. Michael Kugelman, a Washington-based South Asia analyst and writer for the Foreign Policy magazine, said Rubio's decision to call the army chief directly was "the most consequential move the U.S. has made" since the start of the crisis.

"If you want to talk to the Pakistanis about de-escalation, you need to talk to General Munir."

President Donald Trump said  this week the rising tensions were a shame. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said a war would be "none of our business." In recent years, India has been seen as a partner by Western powers to counter China's rising influence. Pakistan is a U.S. ally although its importance has diminished since Washington's 2021 withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan. (Reuters)