Pahalgam attack: Pakistan urges emergency UNSC meet over India tensions

Business Standard

05-05-2025

Under severe international pressure following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council for a meeting on the tensions with India. The United Nations Security Council will now hold closed-door consultations on Monday on the situation on May 5.
Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, will deliver a statement at the Security Council stakeout area after the UNSC meeting scheduled for Monday afternoon, Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN said.
In a statement shared on Sunday, Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN stated, "In view of the deteriorating regional environment and rising tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which presents a serious risk of escalation and poses a threat to both regional and international peace and security, Pakistan has formally requested emergency closed consultations of the United Nations Security Council. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, will deliver a statement at the Security Council stakeout area following the meeting on the afternoon of Monday, May 5, 2025."
Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam.
Russia is a permanent member of the UNSC and for the month of May Greece is chairing the 15-member Security Council. Apart from the five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US - the Council includes ten non-permanent members: Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia.
Earlier, the UNSC had condemned the Pahalgam attack, in a statement on April 23.
"The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of India and Government of Nepal and wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured. The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice," the statement said.
Following the Pahalgam attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism.
In the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism and closes the integrated Attari Check Post. India has also declared the officials of the Pakistani High Commission persona non grata and ordered them to leave India within a week.
The central government also decided to cancel any visas provided under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistan to leave the country within 48 hours. The Government of India also immediately suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals.
Amid the ongoing tensions, India also imposed an immediate ban on the direct or indirect import and transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, regardless of their import status, effectively halting bilateral trade flows, according to a notification by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The Commerce and Industry's Gazette notification issued on Saturday reads, "In exercise of power conffered by Section 3 read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, read with Paragraph 1.02 and 2.01 of the Foreign Trade Polivy (FTP) 2023, as amended from time to time, the Central government hereby inserts a new Para 2.20A in the Foerign Trade Policy, 2023 as follos with immediet effect."
"Para 2.20A: Prohibition on Import from Pakistan. Direct or indirect Import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether or not freely importable or otherwise permitted, shall be prohibited with immediate effect, until further orders. This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy. Any exception to this prohibition shall require prior approval of the Government of India," the Commerce and Industry Ministry's notification added.