1 day ago
Last Updated:April 29, 2025, 22:45 IST
Guterres "expressed his deep concern at rising tensions between India and Pakistan and underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences"
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Reuters Image)
UN chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday spoke separately Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to urge the two countries to de-escalate tensions after a deadly attack last week in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
The Secretary-General noted the importance of pursuing justice and accountability for the attack through lawful means.
Guterres “expressed his deep concern at rising tensions between India and Pakistan and underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences. He offered his Good Offices to support de-escalation efforts," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Jaishankar “appreciated" the UN chief’s unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, where 26 people were brutally killed. In a post on X, the EAM said India is resolved that the perpetrators, planners and backers of this attack are brought to justice.
In response to the attack, India announced a barrage of measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, expulsion of Pakistani military attaches and the immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.
Pakistan has rejected India’s suspension of the treaty and said any measures to stop the flow of water “belonging to Pakistan" under the pact will be seen as an “act of war".
Amid tensions, Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif claimed a military incursion by India was “imminent".
It is pertinent to highlight that India carried out aerial strikes in Pakistan’s Balakot, targeting training camps of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group in the wake of Pulwama attack in 2019. Three years before air strikes, the Indian army conducted surgical strikes on terrorist camps in PoK in retaliation for a terrorist attack on an army base in Uri, where 19 soldiers lost their lives.
Though Pakistan has officially denied its involvement, the Resistance Front (TRF), a rebranded proxy of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Location :New York, United States of America (USA)
First Published:April 29, 2025, 22:28 IST
News world UN Chief Speaks With Jaishankar, Pakistan PM Amid Tensions Over Pahalgam: 'Important To Pursue Justice...'
