UN urges Pakistan, India to have ‘maximum restraint’ after Pahalgam attack

NEW DELHI: The United Nations (UN) urged India and Pakistan to show “maximum restraint” as the nuclear-armed rivals imposed tit-for-tat diplomatic measures over a deadly shooting in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam.

Relations have plunged to their lowest level in years, with India accusing Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority IIOJK for a quarter of a century.

“We very much appeal to both the governments… to exercise maximum restraint, and to ensure that the situation and the developments we’ve seen do not deteriorate any further,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Thursday.

“Any issues between Pakistan and India, we believe, can be and should be resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement”.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday vowed to hunt down the gunmen responsible for killing 26 civilians at the popular tourist site of Pahalgam, after Indian police claimed to identify two of the three fugitive gunmen as Pakistani.

“I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,” Modi said, in his first speech since Tuesday’s attack in the Himalayan region.

“We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.”

Denying any involvement, Islamabad called attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack “frivolous” and vowed to respond to any Indian action.

“Any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains,” a Pakistani statement said, after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a rare National Security Committee with top military chiefs.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since its independence in 1947.

India’s air force and navy both carried out military exercises Thursday.

Indian police claim the three gunmen are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group.

Pakistan official says overnight exchange of fire at border with India

They offered a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man’s arrest.

A day after the attack, New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties, and withdrew visas for Pakistanis.

In response, Islamabad on Thursday ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals – with the exception of Sikh pilgrims – and closing the main border crossing from its side.

Pakistan also warned any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River would be an “act of war.”

‘Reduce it to dust’

Pahalgam marks a dramatic shift in recent Kashmiri fighters, which typically target Indian security forces.

Experts say that a military response may still be in the pipeline, with some speculating that it may come within days while others say weeks.

In 2019, a suicide attack killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan, bringing the countries to the brink of all-out war.

“Whatever little land these terrorists have, it’s time to reduce it to dust,” Modi said on Thursday, after holding two minutes of silence in memory of those killed, all but one of whom was Indian.

India has taken its time to respond to past attacks.

The worst attack in recent years in IIOJK was at Pulwama in 2019.

Indian fighter jets carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory 12 days later.

Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the Pahalgam attackers, with large numbers of people detained.

The attack has enraged Hindu nationalist groups, and students from IIOJK at institutions across India have reported experiencing harassment and intimidation.