India-Pak Tensions: What Pakistan, other envoys said after the ‘closed-door’ UNSC meeting?

India-Pak Tensions: The United Nations Security Council on 5 May, Monday held closed-door consultations to discuss the escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan afte the deadly Pahalgam terror attack.

At the meeting, which was called at the insistence of Pakistan, the envoys called for restraint and dialogue. The consultations lasted for around 90 minutes on Monday afternoon.

The meeting took place amid escalating tensions and Pakistan’s downgraded diplomatic relations with India after the worst-ever terrorist attack on civilians in twenty-five years in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgamthat killed 26 people, mostly tourists, on April 22.

Pak Representative: Prepared to defend

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the objectives of the closed consultations included enabling the Council members to have a discussion on the deteriorating security environment and rising tensions between India and Pakistan and to have an exchange of views on how to address the situation, including avoiding confrontation that could have serious consequences and the need for de-escalation.

Pakistan is currently a non-permanent member of the powerful 15-nation Security Council, which Greece is presiding over in May. Islamabad had sought a closed consultations” on the tensions between the two countries, and the Greek Presidency scheduled the meeting for May 5 in the afternoon.

Iftikhar said, according to news agency PTI, that while Pakistan does not seek confrontation, “we are fully prepared to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Pakistan also raised the issue of India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. “Water is life, not a weapon. These rivers sustain over 240 million Pakistanis,” he said.

Ahmad said at the meeting Pakistan reiterated its “commitment to peaceful, cooperative relations with all our neighbours, including India”. “We remain open to dialogue based on mutual respect and sovereign equality,” he added.

Greece, a non-permanent member of the council, is the president of the body for the month of May.

‘Productive meeting, helpful’

Before the UNSC meeting, India’s former Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin had told PTI that no “consequential outcome” can be expected from “a discussion where a party to the conflict seeks to shape perceptions by using its membership of the Council. India will parry such Pakistani efforts.”

Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for May, Evangelos Sekeris, described the meeting as ‘productive meeting, helpful’.

Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, Khaled Mohamed Khiari of Tunisia, said after the meeting that there was a call for “dialogue and peaceful resolution of the conflict”, reported PTI.He described the situation between India and Pakistan as volatile.

A Russian diplomat, coming out of the meeting, said, “We hope for de-escalation,” reported PTI.

Hours before the meeting, António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were gunned down by terrorists.

Guterres said he understands the “raw feelings” following the “awful terror attack” in Pahalgam and reiterated his strong condemnation of the attack.

“Targeting civilians is unacceptable – and those responsible must be brought to justice through credible and lawful means,” he said.

“Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink. That has been my message in my ongoing outreach with both countries. Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution,” the UN Chief added.

Apart from the five veto-wielding permanent members — China, France, Russia, UK and the US — the 10 non-permanent members in the Council are Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed that India will hunt down those behind the dastardly attack and bring them to justice.

India has taken several punitive measures against Pakistan, including putting in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, suspending visa services and shutting down airspace for Pakistani airplanes.

Amid the escalting tensions, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is ramping up preparedness with mock drills across 244 categorised districts in the country on May 7.