India-Pakistan Question: UNSC calls for dialogue to avoid military confrontation

As tensions between Pakistan and India continue, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) called on Tuesday for dialogue and diplomacy to avoid military confrontation and conflict and to peacefully resolve issues.

This was expressed by the council during closed consultations today under the agenda item “The India-Pakistan Question”, convened on Pakistan’s request.

The “India-Pakistan Question,” is one of the oldest items on the agenda of the UN Security Council, under which the UN Security Council remains seized of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.

This meeting comes after Pakistan achieved a significant diplomatic success at the 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.

“The meeting was held to discuss the deteriorating regional security environment, heightened tensions between India and Pakistan and the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement today.

The meeting was convened at Pakistan’s request, in view of India’s recent unilateral measures and provocative public pronouncements that “have significantly increased the risk of military confrontation and threatened regional and international peace and security”.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, highlighted India’s provocative actions, including its unilateral measures announced on 23rd April and aggressive military posturing.

“He cautioned that these actions were unjustified and dangerous, and could lead to catastrophic consequences,” said the FO.

The members were apprised of intelligence indicating an imminent threat of kinetic action by India against Pakistan, emphasizing that Islamabad remained fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and would exercise its inherent and legitimate right to self-defence as enshrined in the UN Charter in case of any aggression.

“However, Pakistan reaffirmed that it did not seek escalation.”

Moreover, the members were also briefed on India’s unilateral decision to hold in abeyance the historic Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.

The FO said that Pakistan reiterated its warning that any attempt to obstruct or divert the natural flow of its share of river waters would constitute an act of war.

Meanwhile, the council members expressed deep concern over the growing risk of escalation and emphasized the urgent need for restraint and de-escalation.

“Several members underscored that the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute was the root cause of regional instability, and it must be resolved in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” said the press release.

It added that they also underlined respect for international law and obligations with reference to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India.