Pahalgam terror attack: India-Pakistan tension at its ‘boiling point’, says UN chief

In one of his strongest such statements thus far, he cautioned that both countries must avoid a military confrontation that he said could easily “spin out of control”

A military solution is “no solution” to the India-Pakistan conflict, said United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres, calling for “maximum restraint” and offering to help in any way to bring down tensions between the two countries. Mr. Guterres, who had called Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Pahalgam terror attack, repeated his condemnation of the killings of 26 men, and said he was in touch with both countries. He said the targeting of civilians was “unacceptable” and those responsible must be brought to justice through “credible and lawful means”.

In one of his strongest such statements thus far, however, he cautioned that both countries must avoid a military confrontation that he said could easily “spin out of control”, describing the tensions since the Pahalgam attack as the “highest in years”, and reaching a “boiling point”.

“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, and I offer my good offices to both governments in the service of peace,” Mr. Guterres said in a statement at the United Nations in New York on Monday (May 5, 2025).

“United Nations stands ready to support any initiative that promotes de-escalation, diplomacy and the renewed commitment to peace,” he added.

UNSC meet

The UN Secretary General’s statement came even as the UN Security Council members were due to hold a “closed-door” meeting on the situation, where Pakistan, as a current member, is present. After a UNSC resolution last month, that was watered down at Pakistan’s instance, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke to all other non-permanent members of the UNSC, including Greece, which has taken the Presidency of the UNSC this month.

Mr. Guterres’ statement came on the heels of a number of statements from other countries calling for de-escalation and diplomacy as Mr. Modi has been meeting with military chiefs to discuss a possible strategy to respond to the Pahalgam attacks. In briefings to foreign envoys, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said the attack had “cross-border linkages” while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has blamed Pakistan directly for “supporting, training and funding” terrorist organisations.

However, several countries including the U.S., U.K., Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the European Union have issued statements counselling restraint and avoiding a broader conflict. On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim issued a statement after a call with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who cancelled his visit to Malaysia amid rising tensions offering to mediate between India and Pakistan, with “close ties to both”, and hoped for a swift de-escalation of tensions, adding support for an “independent and transparent” investigation into the Pahalgam attack.

The MEA didn’t respond to requests for comments on the UNSG statement as well as that of the Malaysian Prime Minister.

In a comment believed to be aimed at those counselling restraint and dialogue, Mr. Jaishankar said on Sunday that India looked for “partners” and not for “preachers”, in expectations from the world in general, and Europe in particular.

Published - May 05, 2025 10:18 pm IST