Members of the UN Security Council, meeting behind closed-doors on Monday, called for restraint and de-escalation leading to an India-Pakistan dialogue as tensions mounted between the two South Asian neighbours, with several members also underscoring early resolution of the Kashmir dispute, according to the Pakistani ambassador.
\nIn a statement made at the Council\u2019s stakeout on the conclusion of the session, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said that the meeting, held under the \u201chistoric\u2019 agenda item titled \u201cIndia-Pakistan Question\u201d, was requested by Pakistan to discuss the deteriorating regional security environment, heightened tensions between the two countries and the situation in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
\n\u201cThat this (Kashmir) issue remains unresolved after more than seventy years is a stark reminder \u2014 conflicts may be ignored but they do not disappear. They deepen,\u201d the Pakistan envoy said.
\n\u201cToday,\u201d he added, \u201cthe stakes are higher than ever, with escalating rhetoric, military posturing, and provocative actions threatening not just Pakistan, but regional and global peace.\u201d
\nTensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir\u2019s Pahalgam town that killed 26 people, and without any evidence, India blamed Pakistan. On its part, Pakistan categorically rejected the claim and called for a neutral probe.
\n The situation further deteriorated as India\u2019s Prime Minister Naredra Modi granted \u201coperational freedom\u201d to his military chiefs to respond to the attack in disputed Kashmir in whatever way they see fit.
\nPakistan\u2019s military has warned of a \u201cswift\u201d response to any misadventure by New Delhi.
\nON Monday, the Security Council met after more than 5 years to consider the current security dynamic between Pakistan and India and the underlying Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
\n\u201cPakistan believes all its objectives were largely served and achieved by this meeting,\u201d Ambassador Asim told reporters.
\n\u201cWe thank Council members for their engagement and their calls for restraint, de-escalation, and dialogue,: he said.
\n\u201cSeveral members recognized the imperative of peacefully resolving Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with UN resolutions, the UN Charter, and wishes of the Kashmiri people. There was also a clear sense that regional stability cannot be sustained through unilateralism \u2014 it requires principled diplomacy and adherence to international law.
\n?Pakistan, he said, came to the Council with a message of peace, not provocation. \u201cBut peace does not happen in a vacuum. It demands responsibility, restraint, and respect for the rules that govern our world.\u201d
\nIn this regard, Ambassador Asim voiced grave concern over India\u2019s recent unilateral measures \u2014 particularly the illegal actions of 23 April, military build-up, and inflammatory public statements.
\n\u201cThese actions, alongside credible intelligence of potential escalation, have dangerously raised tensions. While Pakistan does not seek confrontation, we are fully prepared to defend our sovereignty \u2026 When peace is threatened in a region home to one-fourth of humanity, it becomes a global issue.\u201d
\nRejecting India\u2019s attempt to implicate Pakistan in the Pahalgam attack, he said, \u201cWhat India is claiming is nothing but recycled allegations \u2014 unsubstantiated, unverified, designed to serve its political interests and strategic objectives which include its efforts to divert attention from its repression and human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, and to undermine and delegitimize the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination.\u201d
\n As regards India\u2019s unilateral suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty \u2014 a legally-binding accord brokered by the World Bank and upheld even during wars, the Pakistani envoy said, \u201cAny attempt to disrupt their flow constitutes aggression.\u201d
\n\u201cWater is life, not a weapon. These rivers sustain over 240 million Pakistanis,\u201d he said.
\nAt the same time, Ambassador Asim said the Council was reminded that the core of regional instability is the unresolved dispute over Jammu and Kashmir where the people continue to face gross human rights violations \u2014 extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, demolition of homes, restrictions on expression and media, and a systematic denial of their right to self-determination.
\n\u201cLasting peace in South Asia requires that the Council implement its own resolutions, including the holding of a UN-supervised plebiscite to let Kashmiris determine their own future.\u201d
\nPakistan, he said, also called out India\u2019s weaponization of disinformation \u2014 efforts to malign Pakistan and fabricate narratives, and reminded the Council that as a frontline state in the fight against terrorism, the country sacrificed over 90,000 lives along with immense economic setback.
\n\u201cIndia\u2019s attempts to distort this reality \u2014 while ignoring its own destabilizing actions and involvement in terrorism abroad, including the case of Kulbhushan Yadav and extra territorial assassinations \u2014 must be met with truth, transparency and accountability.\u201d
\nPakistan also reiterated its commitment to peaceful, cooperative relations with all its neighbours, including India.
\n\u201cWe remain open to dialogue based on mutual respect and sovereign equality. We have also called for an independent, transparent, neutral and credible investigation into the Pahalgam incident,\u201d the Pakistani envoy said.
\n\u201cWhile we pursue peace, we will defend our interests and safeguard our sovereignty resolutely, at all costs.\u201d
\nIn conclusion, he said, ?In view of the gravity of the situation, the calls of dialogue and de-escalation and peaceful resolution of disputes, as we also heard from the Council members today, are most pertinent, and the way forward for lasting peace and stability in the region.\u201d
\nAt the start of the Security Council\u2019s session, Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific briefed the member states on the situation between India and Pakistan, diplomats said.
\nAhead of the 15-member body\u2019s meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for \u201cmaximum restraint\u201d from India and Pakistan, warning that escalating tensions over a recent terror attack in Kashmir risk spiraling into outright military confrontation.
\nAddressing journalists outside the Security Council, Guterres expressed deep concern over deteriorating relations and tensionsbetween the two South Asian neighbours, saying they had reached \u201ctheir highest in years.\u201d
\nHe reiterated his condemnation of the 22 April terror attack in the Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir, which killed at least 26 civilians and injured many more.
\n\u201cTargeting civilians is unacceptable \u2013 and those responsible must be brought to justice through credible and lawful means,\u201d the UN chief said.
\n\u201cIt is also essential \u2013 especially at this critical hour \u2013 to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Members of the UN Security Council, meeting behind closed-doors on Monday, called for restraint and de-escalation leading to an India-Pakistan dialogue as tensions mounted between the two South Asian neighbours, with several members also underscoring early resolution of the Kashmir dispute, according to the Pakistani ambassador. In a statement made at the Council\u2019s stakeout on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":476736,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-476725","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n