Key Takeaways
- The UN Secretary General has spoken with both India and Pakistan to offer his good offices in reducing tension.
- The Pahalgam terror attack has led to a severe downsize in ties between India and Pakistan.
- The UN has condemned the attack and called for justice and accountability through lawful means.
United Nations/New Delhi: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres today spoke with both India and Pakistan, offering his good offices to support de-escalation efforts.
Significantly, the UN chief spoke with the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and in India with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
The UN chief in his message “underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences”, even as he “noted the importance of pursuing justice and accountability for these attacks through lawful means”.
Notably, the UN chief in his April 23 statement on the Pahalgam terror attack had referred to it as an “armed attack” and not a terrorist attack. The change of term to terror attack came after all the world leaders, including the US and Russia, roundly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam attack as a terrorist attack.
In his April 23 statement, the Guterres had also sought to highlight Kashmir as a disputed area between India and Pakistan. India has said that following revocation of Article 370 in J&K, there is no question of it being under any kind of dispute, and that the UN has no jurisdiction over Kashmir.
Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, in a statement on Tuesday said the UN chief spoke separately today by telephone with Shehbaz Sharif, and with S Jaishankar.
“The Secretary-General reiterated his strong condemnation of the 22 April terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Secretary-General noted the importance of pursuing justice and accountability for these attacks through lawful means.”
“The Secretary-General also 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.”
Meanwhile, EAM S Jaishankar stressed on X that “India is resolved that the perpetrators, planners and backers of this attack are brought to justice”, reiterating what PM Modi had vowed – to pursue the attackers and their backers to the end of the earth.
“Received a call from @UN SG @antonioguterres.
“Appreciate his unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Agreed on the importance of accountability.
“India is resolved that the perpetrators, planners and backers of this attack are brought to justice.”
The call from the UN chief comes amid rising bitterness in ties between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were gunned down by Pakistani-linked Islamist terrorists.
India has severely downsized its ties with Pakistan, by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari land border, sending back all Pakistani nationals, declaring the military attaches at the Pakistan High Commission as persona non grata and asking them to leave. Pakistan has also resorted to ti-for-tat measures against India.
