Delhi: Hours after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the UN Security Council convened for closed-door consultations on the situation. Pakistan, a current non-permanent member of the Council, requested the closed consultations, which took place in a consultation room adjacent to the UNSC Chamber.
The meeting followed a statement by Guterres condemning the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. Guterres expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and stressed the need to bring those responsible to justice “through credible and lawful means.”
“I understand the raw feeling following the Pahalgam attack on 22 April. I once again strongly condemn the attack and extend my condolences to the families of the victims,” Guterres said.
“Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink. That has been my message in my ongoing outreach with both countries. Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution,” Guterres stated.
Guterres’s remarks came amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following the Pahalgam attack. He had previously reiterated his condemnation of the attack in separate calls with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, underscoring the importance of pursuing justice and accountability through lawful channels.
Prior to the Security Council meeting, Jaishankar had communicated with all Council members except China and Pakistan. “In his phone calls, the Secretary General reiterated his strong condemnation of the April 22 terrorist attack that took place in Jammu and Kashmir. The Secretary General noted the importance of pursuing justice and accountability for these attacks through lawful means,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, had said.
