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United Nations: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold a closed-door meeting on Monday to discuss the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, according to a diplomatic source.
The source revealed that Pakistan's Permanent Representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, formally requested the meeting from Council President Evangelos Sekeris on Sunday night. The consultation will take place on Monday afternoon.
Pakistan's request highlighted the deteriorating regional situation, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, and expressed concerns that the rising tensions between India and Pakistan posed a threat to both regional and international peace and security.
As per UNSC procedures, only member states are allowed to participate in these closed consultations, and Pakistan, currently an elected member, will attend the meeting.
The consultations, which are held informally in a side room rather than the Council chamber, are not recorded or published.
On Friday, Ahmad had indicated that Pakistan was contemplating a call for a Council meeting due to the imminent threat of "kinetic action" by India. The terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, was claimed by The Resistance Front, a group linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Following the attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to track down and punish the terrorists and their supporters, stating, "We will identify, trace, and punish every terrorist and their supporters. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres had expressed deep concern over the rising tensions, speaking separately with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif last Tuesday. He strongly condemned the terrorist attack and emphasized the need for justice and accountability through lawful means, according to his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric.
Pakistan has been actively pursuing diplomatic support at the UN, with Ahmad meeting Guterres, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, and representatives from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to assert its claims of innocence and call for de-escalation.
With IANS inputs