UN chief calls India-Pakistan ceasefire a 'positive step' toward peace

United Nations: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sees the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan as a "positive step" towards easing tensions and hopes it will contribute to "lasting peace", according to his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric.

Guterres "welcomes the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan as a positive step toward ending current hostilities and easing tensions," Dujarric said on Saturday.

"He hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, long-standing issues between the two countries," he added.

Dujarric said, "The United Nations stands ready to support efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region."

India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire on Saturday, ending a four-day conflict that extended beyond Kashmir into other regions of both nations.

It began on Wednesday when India struck "terrorist infrastructures" in retaliation against the massacre of 26 people in the Kashmir tourist spot Pahalgam last month by The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

As tensions escalated last week, Guterres voiced grave concerns over the situation, stating, "The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan."

He consistently urged for de-escalation, including by convening a dedicated press briefing on the matter.

Last month, Guterres engaged in discussions with India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, emphasising his deep concern over escalating tensions.

Amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, international leaders, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reached out to Indian and Pakistani officials, urging de-escalation. On Thursday, Guterres' Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq reaffirmed this stance, stating, "We encourage all efforts to de-escalate the situation."

Throughout the crisis, Guterres has repeatedly denounced the terrorist massacre in the strongest terms.

He said, "Targeting civilians is unacceptable -- and those responsible must be brought to justice through transparent, credible, and lawful means."

Guterres offered his good wishes to find a solution to the crisis, but ultimately it was the US that played the crucial diplomatic role.

At the request of Pakistan, the UN Security Council held a closed-door consultation on Monday on the situation with a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari.

But it did not meet formally in an open session about the conflict.

Soon after the Pahalgam massacre, the Council issued a press statement expressing its unanimous view condemning the attack, with Pakistan, an elected member, acceding to it.

It "condemned in the strongest terms" the Pahalgam terrorist attack and urged all countries to cooperate in bringing all those involved in the massacre to justice.

(inputs from IANS)