UN Chief condemns Pahalgam terror attack, urges India-Pakistan to de-escalate amid rising tensions

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday spoke separately with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen. He stressed the importance of pursuing justice and accountability through lawful means and expressed concern over the growing tensions between the two countries.

In his conversation with Jaishankar, Guterres reaffirmed his condemnation of the terror attack and emphasised accountability. Jaishankar posted on X, “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.” Guterres also offered his “Good Offices” to support de-escalation efforts between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also spoke to the UN chief, rejected the Indian government’s accusations and called for a “transparent and neutral investigation” into the Pahalgam incident. In a post on X, Sharif said, “I reaffirmed Pakistan’s condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, rejected baseless Indian accusations, and called for a transparent and neutral investigation into the Pahalgam incident. I urged the UN to play its role in resolving the Jammu & Kashmir dispute in line with UNSC resolutions.”

Pakistan’s federal minister for information, Attaullah Tarar, stated on X that Pakistan has “credible intelligence” suggesting India plans to launch military action within the next 24-36 hours, calling the Indian allegations “baseless and concocted.” Following the attack, India took several diplomatic and strategic measures, including putting the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, declaring Pakistani High Commission officials as persona non grata, cancelling visas under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme, and ordering Pakistani officials to leave the country.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting attended by the Defence Minister, National Security Advisor, Chief of Defence Staff, and the three service chiefs. Government sources said that Modi affirmed India’s national resolve to respond firmly to terrorism and expressed full faith in the armed forces, stating that they have operational freedom to decide the mode, targets, and timing of India’s response. The President of the UN General Assembly also expressed concern over the rising violence and called for maximum restraint and diplomatic resolution.