Antonio Guterres calls for \u201cmaximum restraint\u201d as Pakistan-India tensions hit highest level in years
\n Islamabad
\nNuclear-armed foes Pakistan and India must exert \u201cmaximum restraint\u201d and step back from the brink of war, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged Monday, as tensions between the two neighbours soared.
\nNew Delhi has blamed Islamabad for backing a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month, sparking a series of heated threats and diplomatic tit-for-tat measures.
\nRelations have reached \u201ca boiling point,\u201d Guterres told reporters in New York, adding that they were at their \u201chighest in years.\u201d He again condemned the April 22 attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, calling for those responsible to be brought to justice through \u201ccredible and lawful means.\u201d
\n\u201cIt is also essential \u2013 especially at this critical hour \u2013 to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control,\u201d the secretary-general warned. \u201cNow is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink,\u201d he added.
\nInternational pressure has been piled on both New Delhi and Islamabad to de-escalate.
\nIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his military \u201cfull operational freedom\u201d to respond and Islamabad has warned it will hit back against any aggression. The UN Security Council was due to meet behind closed doors later Monday at Pakistan\u2019s request over the crisis.
\nOn Monday the Pakistan military said it had conducted a second missile test since the standoff began.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Antonio Guterres calls for \u201cmaximum restraint\u201d as Pakistan-India tensions hit highest level in years Islamabad Nuclear-armed foes Pakistan and India must exert \u201cmaximum restraint\u201d and step back from the brink of war, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged Monday, as tensions between the two neighbours soared. New Delhi has blamed Islamabad for backing a deadly attack […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":476583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-476557","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n