UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday voiced serious concern about the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, reported PTI. He urged both countries to show “maximum restraint” to prevent the situation from worsening and affecting regional stability. Guterres also strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and stressed on the need for justice to be pursued via lawful means.
Guterres said that he was grateful to the governments and people of India and Pakistan and their contribution to UN peacekeeping. “It pains me to see the relationship reach a boiling point,” he said. However, he further added, “Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution.”
He went on to strongly condemn the Pahalgam terrorist attack and called for justice through “credible lawful means”.
UN calls for exercising restraint
The United Nations Security Council had held a closed-door meeting, during which envoys urged both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue. The meeting, which took place on Monday afternoon, lasted for about an hour and a half. However, no official statement was issued by the Security Council after the session.
Pakistan, which is currently a non-permanent member of the Council, had requested the “closed consultations” to discuss the escalating situation between the two countries.
Following the meeting, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, briefed the reporters, explaining that the purpose of the consultations was to allow Council members to discuss the worsening security situation and the growing tensions between India and Pakistan.
He said the goal was to exchange views on how to handle the situation, particularly in ways that would prevent further confrontation with potentially serious consequences.
