Avoid Military Confrontation That Could Spin Out Of Control: UN Chief Amid India-Pak Tensions

<p>United Nations Secretary-General Ant&oacute;nio Guterres on Monday urged India and Pakistan to avoid a <span class=”css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3″>military confrontation that could easily spin out of control and called for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink.</span></p>
<p>Ant&oacute;nio Guterres, while condemning the terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, said he is pained to see the relations between the two countries reaching a boiling point.&nbsp;</p>
<p>”<span class=”css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3″>Tensions between India and Pakistan are at their highest in years. I deeply respect and am profoundly grateful to the governments and people of both countries and their significant contributions to the work of the United Nations, not least UN peacekeeping. And so it pains me to see relations reaching a boiling point,” Guterres said in an address at the UN Headquarters in New York.</span></p>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WATCH</a> | US | Tensions between India and Pakistan are at their highest in years. I deeply respect and am profoundly grateful to the governments and people of both countries and their significant contributions to the work of the United Nations, not least UN peacekeeping. And so it&hellip; <a href=”https://t.co/a2nulj2wX8″>pic.twitter.com/a2nulj2wX8</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href=”https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1919416654741885415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p><span class=”css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3″>Condemning the terror attack in Pahalgam, he said, “</span><span class=”css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3”>I understand the raw feelings following the awful terror attack in Pahalgam on 22 April. I once again strongly condemn that attack and extend my condolences to the families of the victims.”</span></p>
<p><span class=”css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3″>The UN Secretary-General said targeting civilians is unacceptable and those responsible must be brought to justice through credible and lawful means. </span><span class=”css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3″>He also urged the two nations to avoid a military confrontation that could spin out of control.</span></p>
<p><span class=”css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3″>”It is also essential to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control, especially at this critical hour. 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,” he said.</span></p>
<p><span class=”css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3″>He said that the&nbsp;</span><span class=”css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3″>United Nations is ready to support any initiative that promotes de-escalation diplomacy and the renewed commitment to peace.</span></p>