NEW DELHI: The
UN Security Council (UNSC) will hold closed consultations on Monday about the situation between India and Pakistan. Pakistan had asked for an emergency meeting on the issue. Pakistan is currently a non-permanent member of the 15-nation Security Council, which is being led by Greece for the month of May.
Pakistan "requested closed consultations" over the growing tensions, and the Greek Presidency scheduled the meeting for May 5 in the afternoon.
Pakistan said on Sunday that it will "inform" the UNSC about what it called India's "aggressive actions".
"Pakistan will inform the UNSC about India's aggressive actions, provocations, and provocative statements," the Pakistan's foreign office said.
"Pakistan will specifically highlight India's illegal actions to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty," it said, adding that the country would clarify how New Delhi's actions are jeopardising "peace and security" in the region.
The Security Council has five permanent members with veto power: China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US. The ten non-permanent members are Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have increased following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN and the Security Council president for May, Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, said last week that a meeting should take place if there is a request.
"Then… I think this meeting 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," Sekeris said.
"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," he added.
News agency PTI reported that when it asked Sekeris about India being affected by from Pakistan, which is now on the Council, and the need to deal with terrorism, he said, "It’s an issue which is very pertinent."
He added, "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 terrorist attack" in Pahalgam, in which civilians were killed.
Sekeris further said, "We express our condolences to the government of India, Nepal and the families of victims. This is a position of principle. We condemn terrorism in all its forms, everywhere it is happening. On the other hand, we are concerned about this tension which is mounting in the region. Two very big countries. Of course, India is far more bigger" than Pakistan.
After the Pahalgam attack in which 26 civilians died, external affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke with all Council members except China and Pakistan, as per a report by the news agency PTI.
He told them that "its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice."
Jaishankar had a "good conversation" with Greek foreign minister George Gerapetritis and "discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack."
India welcomed Greece’s strong stand against cross-border terrorism. Jaishankar said their "Strategic Partnership reflects the depth of our ties."
He also spoke with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and the foreign ministers of Russia, the US, the UK, France, South Korea, Denmark, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Guyana, Slovenia, Somalia, and Panama.
Last Friday, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said at a press conference that Pakistan has the right to ask for a meeting when it feels it is needed.
"We see that all of this that is happening is in the context, in the backdrop of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir," Ahmad said.
"Here it is evident that there was an incident but now what has evolved in terms of the situation which is a real threat to regional and international peace and security, and we believe that the Security Council, in fact, has the mandate, and it would be very legitimate for any member of the Council, including Pakistan, to request a meeting, a discussion of the Security Council, to consider this very serious situation that has evolved. We have discussed that with the Council members. We have discussed that with the in fact, the previous, last month’s presidency, and this month’s presidency. We are observing the situation very closely, and we have the right to convene a meeting when we feel appropriate," he added.
Ahmad also met UN Secretary General Guterres last week and gave him a briefing about the situation in the region.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 24 said that the people behind the
Pahalgam terror attack and those supporting them will be punished. In a meeting on April 29 with senior defence officials, Modi said that the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to choose how, when, and where to respond to the attack, news agency PTI reported, quoting government sources.
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