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UNSC to hold ‘closed consultations’ on India-Pakistan tension over Pahalgam attack today
The UNSC meeting comes after Islamabad requested a “closed consultation” on the tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Amid the rising tensions in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, the UN Security Council on Monday will hold closed consultations on the situation between India and Pakistan.
Pakistan, rattled with India's punitive measures, had sought an emergency meeting on the issue, news agency PTI reported. Islamabad is a non-permanent member of the 15-nation UNSC, over which Greece is presiding for May.
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Islamabad reportedly "requested closed consultations" on the tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, and the Greek Presidency scheduled the same for the afternoon of May 5.
The UN Security Council has five veto-wielding members, namely China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. The other 10 non-permanent members are Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia.
Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, died in the Pahalgam terror attack. India has taken several punitive actions against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, cancellation of all visas issued to Pakistani nationals and a ban on all imports from Islamabad.
Last week, Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN and President of UNSC for May, said he thinks that if a request came for a meeting to discuss the Indo-Pak situation then it should take place "because, as we said, maybe it's also an opportunity to have views expressed and this might help to diffuse a bit of tension".
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“We are in close contact...but this is something which might happen, I would say, sooner rather than later. We will see, we are preparing,” Sekeris had said.
The Greek Ambassador had said that the issue of India being a victim of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan "is very pertinent".
"As I said before, as a position of principle, we strongly condemn any act of terrorism, and this is what we did" on the "heinous attack" that took place in Kashmir, he added.
He noted that while the UNSC condemns terrorism in all its forms, it is also concerned about the mounting tensions in the region. "Two very big countries. Of course, India is far more bigger (than Pakistan)", Sekeris said.
Jaishankar speaks to UNSC members
External affairs minister S Jaishankar had spoken to all the Council members over the weeks following the Pahalgam attack, excluding China and Pakistan.
Jaishankar emphasised bringing to justice the perpetrators, backers and planners of the terror attack in these calls. The EAM also had a "good conversation" with his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, and discussed the Pahalgam attack.
Jaishankar had said that India welcomed Greece's stance on cross-border terrorism, adding that "our Strategic Partnership reflects the depth of our ties".
In addition, Jaishankar also spoke with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, UK foreign secretary David Lammy, French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
UN urges India, Pak to exercise 'maximum restraint'
Just days after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, the United Nations urged India and Pakistan to exercise "maximum restrain" to prevent further escalation.
UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric had condemned the terrorist attack and said that issues between the two nuclear-armed neighbours should be resolved peacefully via "meaningful mutual engagement".
Last week, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called S Jaishankar and Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif separately and condemned the Pahalgam attack.
With PTI inputs
