Rubio urges India, Pakistan to communicate to 'avoid miscalculation'

Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged India and Pakistan to restore direct communication to avoid miscalculation in a series of calls...

Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged India and Pakistan to restore direct communication to "avoid miscalculation" in a series of calls as the conflict neared all-out war, the State Department said early Saturday.

Rubio placed telephone calls to the rivals' top diplomats and, for the first known time since the conflict erupted, also spoke with Pakistan's army chief, considered the country's key powerbroker.

In the separate calls with the foreign ministers, Rubio "emphasized that both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.

In the conversations with both foreign ministers and with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, Rubio also "offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts," Bruce said.

The stepped-up diplomacy came as the conflict intensified between the nuclear-armed neighbors, with Pakistan launching counterattacks after India struck three of its air bases, according to officials.