NEW YORK: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) convened an urgent session today to address the rising tensions in South Asia following the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir, which left 26 civilians dead, 25 of them Indian Hindus and one Indian Muslim. India, without presenting evidence, blamed Pakistan for the incident, prompting Islamabad to request international intervention.
The attack, one of the deadliest in Kashmir in over two decades, has sparked a sharp escalation in hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
So far, as per the officials from Pakistan, the BJP-RSS-led Indian government is using the attack as a false flag operation to gain domestic political advantage ahead of elections, a claim India has not addressed publicly.
In this regard, tensions intensified further after New Delhi unilaterally suspended its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty, a landmark 1960 agreement brokered by the World Bank to manage water resources between the two nations.
Furthermore, Pakistan termed India’s abeyance of the treaty a violation of international law, warning that continued provocation could lead to a catastrophic conflict.
Also Read: Pahalgam incident: Tarar, DG ISPR briefs political leaders on government’s diplomatic measures
Similarly, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio intervened diplomatically, urging both countries to exercise restraint. The international community has grown increasingly concerned, with fears of miscalculation escalating into open war.
The United Nations Security Council has begun its session in New York to discuss the prevailing tensions in South Asia@PakistanPR_UN @PakistanUN_NY @antonioguterres #RadioPakistan #News pic.twitter.com/wqJz4LUVre
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) May 5, 2025
The UNSC session, requested by Pakistan, was held at 3 PM at the UN headquarters in New York. State-run broadcaster Radio Pakistan confirmed the proceedings were underway. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, directed Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, to formally raise concerns over India’s aggressive posturing and treaty violations.
“Pakistan will particularly brief the UNSC on how India’s repeated provocations and inflammatory rhetoric pose a serious threat to regional and global peace,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for “maximum restraint” and warned of the grave consequences of a military confrontation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a recent phone call with Guterres, asserted Pakistan’s offer for an independent and neutral probe.
The world watches closely, hoping that measured dialogue will prevail over confrontation in a region long fraught with conflict.
