By: APP
Date of Creation: April 26 2025 @2025 (Pakistan and India are currently engaged in an escalating dispute, according to a UN spokesperson on Friday. He called upon both nations to exercise maximum restraint and pursue peaceful dialogue as means for resolving their differences.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, made it clear during a regular press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York that Guterres is “well aware” of developments in South Asia and remains “deeply alarmed” over growing tensions between these nuclear-armed neighbors.
Dujarric responded to a journalist’s query by noting, “we are aware of the current situation, and the Secretary-General is closely monitoring it. He urges both sides to exercise maximum restraint and take measures to de-escalate. Resolving all outstanding issues through peaceful means remains vitally important.”
Dujarric also reiterated the United Nations’s dedication to peace and stability in the region and reiterated Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s longstanding belief that dialogue was the only path forward. As always, however, “if both parties request assistance from us”, Dujarric offered his services as part of this ongoing dialogue process.
Recently, tensions between Pakistan and India have reached unprecedented levels following border clashes and accusations of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. Both nations have pointed the finger at each other for inciting unrest and stirring public sentiment against each other.
Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, briefed senior UN officials recently on Pakistan’s efforts to maintain peace but advocated that more protection be granted for Kashmiris; an issue which Islamabad had repeatedly raised at international forums. Islamabad asserted its commitment to justice while seeking an end to any further escalation of tensions in Kashmir; Islamabad has continuously advocated its dedication to maintaining international order over Kashmir.
India, on its part, has asserted that Jammu and Kashmir is its internal affair and called upon Pakistan to stop what it perceives as interference in their domestic affairs.
Observers point out that the United Nations’ call for calm could help maintain diplomatic pressure between both sides to help avert conflict. While direct UN intervention may not happen without first receiving a joint request from both sides, its involvement shows an increasing international concern over further instability in the region.