What is UN Charter's Article 51 Pakistan is citing after India's Operation Sindoor strikes

In response to India's Operation Sindoor strikes overnight on Tuesday, Pakistan Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that New Delhi had violated Article 51 of the UN Charter. In a statement, Dar said that Pakistan reserves the ‘right to respond appropriately’. This comes after Indian forces targeted nine terror sites in Pakistan in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

After the strikes, the Indian defence ministry said that the armed forces targeted sites ‘from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed’. The mission was codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’.

Read More: Operation Sindoor: India hits 9 sites in Pak, PoK used to direct terror attacks

“Our actions have been focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature,” the statement further read. “No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and the method of execution."

Soon after the strike, Pakistan's foreign minister cited UN Charter's Article 51 in the country's response.

“We strongly condemn India's cowardly action, which is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and established norms of inter-state relations,” Ishaq Dar wrote in her statement.

What is Article 51 of the UN Charter?

Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, adopted in 1945, focuses on the right of self-defense for member states. It states that nothing in the Charter impairs a state’s right to self-defense if an armed attack occurs against it, until the Security Council takes necessary measures to maintain international peace and security.

Read More: Pakistan airspace cleared after India's Operation Sindoor targets 9 terror sites

Actions taken under Article 51 must be immediately reported to the Security Council. The article balances sovereignty with collective security, allowing states to respond to aggression while requiring oversight to prevent abuse.

It applies to clear armed attacks, though debates persist over preemptive strikes or non-state actor threats.