NEW YORK: Pakistan achieved a significant diplomatic success at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), effectively blocking India’s attempts to push through a resolution that directly attributed the recent Pahalgam incident to Pakistan and incorporated language favouring New Delhi’s stance on Kashmir.
Despite India’s intensive lobbying efforts following the April 22 attack in the Pahalgam area of occupied Kashmir — where 26 tourists were killed in a firing incident — New Delhi failed to include the word “Pahalgam” in the final UNSC statement.
The Security Council’s carefully worded condemnation avoided direct reference to India’s claims and instead maintained the internationally recognized term “Jammu and Kashmir,” reaffirming its disputed status between Pakistan and India.
In the statement issued four days after the incident, the UNSC strongly condemned the attack, expressing deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the governments of India and Nepal. The council reiterated that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations remains one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and emphasized that such acts are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of motivation or perpetrators.
The Security Council urged all member states to cooperate actively with “all relevant authorities” under international law, pointedly avoiding any direct mention of India as the sole authority in the region. Diplomats noted that Pakistan, with the crucial support of China, played a pivotal role in shaping the language of the statement to prevent any implicit endorsement of India’s territorial claims.
Pakistan, currently serving as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, coordinated closely with China to ensure the resolution remained balanced. Unlike the 2019 Pulwama incident, where the UNSC’s response was heavily tilted in India’s favour, Islamabad succeeded this time in preventing any direct blame from being placed on Pakistan.
In contrast to India’s demand for a “clear and forceful” condemnation that named Pahalgam and Pakistan explicitly, the final statement issued by the Council remained neutral. It reflected Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to highlight Jammu and Kashmir’s disputed status on the international stage.
Additionally, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to cooperate with a “neutral and transparent” investigation into the Pahalgam attack, firmly rejecting what he described as “baseless allegations” levelled by India.
Notably, the UNSC’s statement this time stands in contrast to previous ones, reflecting a more cautious and balanced approach toward Kashmir-related incidents.
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