Bring sponsors of Pahalgam attack to justice: UN Security Council

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 and asserted that those responsible must be held accountable – without naming Pakistan. In a powerful message of solidarity with India, the 15-member council called on all countries to actively cooperate with relevant authorities in this regard in line with their obligations under international laws and UNSC resolutions.

In a press statement issued on Friday (New York time), members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam to justice.

They emphasised that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and reaffirmed that all acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation and who commits them.

The UNSC also reaffirmed the need for countries to “combat by all means” such acts of terrorism. Its members expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Indian and Nepalese governments, and wished a speedy and full recovery to those injured. Among the UNSC permanent members, the USA, Russia and France have backed any action that India deems correct following the Pahalgam terror attack.

‘Very Deep Concern’
Pakistan sits in the UNSC as a non-permanent member. Meanwhile, the UN has urged India and Pakistan “to exercise maximum restraint to ensure the situation does not deteriorate further,” its spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said. The UN continues to follow the situation in the region “with very deep concern,” he said during a regular news briefing in New York on Friday.