‘Was Lashkar involved?’: Pakistan asked ‘tough questions’ by UNSC members over Pahalgam attack, say reports
“Closed consultations” were called after Pakistan, a non-permanent member, requested an informal UNSC meeting to discuss its bilateral relations with India
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on current tensions between India and Pakistan called for “restraint” and “dialogue” between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, news agencies PTI and ANI reported.
Envoys reportedly posed “tough questions” for Islamabad over the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in the Pahalgam attack and also refused to accept the “false flag” narrative, news agency PTI reported.
Follow live updates on Pahalgam terror attack here
The meeting also saw a broad condemnation of the terror attack and recognised the need for accountability. Some members reportedly raised the targeting of tourists on the basis of their religious faith, unnamed sources told PTI.
The “closed consultations” were called after Pakistan, a non-permanent member, requested an informal meeting to discuss its tense state of bilateral relations with India after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
India has said it found clear evidence of cross-border linkages to the attack, while Pakistan denied its role and instead expressed readiness for a “neutral” third-party investigation with the involvement of international powers like China and Russia.
HT.com couldn't independently verify the authenticity of these developments.
Also read | Why MHA ordered nationwide mock drills on May 7. Key measures states must follow
Pakistan's take on UNSC meet
Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told reporters that the country's objectives were “largely served and achieved” at the meeting.
Ahmad claimed that the meeting enabled members to discuss the “deteriorating security environment” and exchange of views on how to address the situation by avoiding confrontation that could have “serious consequences".
Stressing that Pakistan is “fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Ahmad thanked Council members for their engagement and their calls for restraint, de-escalation and dialogue.
Pakistan will be heading the council for the month of July 2025 as per the norm of rotating presidency.
Grandstanding has flopped, says former Indian envoy
India’s former Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, had told PTI that no “consequential outcome” can be expected from “a discussion where a party to the conflict seeks to shape perceptions by using its membership of the Council. India will parry such Pakistani efforts.”
Commenting on the meeting's outcome, Akbaruddin said, “Pakistan’s grandstanding has flopped again today as in the past. As was expected, there was no meaningful response by the Council. Indian diplomacy has yet again successfully parried Pakistani efforts to seek the Security Council’s intervention.”
