J&K assault: UN chief calls Jaishankar, Pak PM; offers de-escalation support | India News

NEW DELHI: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke to exterior affairs minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif individually and strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror assault on April 22 that killed 25 Indians and a Nepalese citizen.
“In his phone calls, the Secretary General reiterated his strong condemnation of the April 22 terrorist attack that took place in Jammu and Kashmir. The Secretary General noted the importance of pursuing justice and accountability for these attacks through lawful means,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary-general mentioned.
“The Secretary General offered his good offices to support any de-escalation efforts,” Dujarric added.
Speaking in regards to the dialog, Jaishankar mentioned that the 2 leaders “agreed on the importance of accountability”.
“Received a call from @UN SG @antonioguterres. Appreciate his unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Agreed on the importance of accountability. India is resolved that the perpetrators, planners and backers of this attack are brought to justice,” he mentioned.

‘Counsel India to train restraint’

Amid rising tensions between the 2 nations, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif urged UN chief Antonio Guterres to “counsel India to act responsibly and exercise restraint”.
“While underscoring that Pakistan shall defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full force in case of any misadventure by India, the Prime Minister encouraged the UN Secretary-General to counsel India to act responsibly and exercise restraint,” Sharif’s workplace mentioned in an announcement, repeating Pakistan’s rejection of India’s allegations.
Meanwhile, PM Modi, throughout a high-level assembly earlier on Tuesday, granted the Indian armed forces full authority to find out the timing, targets, and methodology of response to the lethal terrorist assault. Emphasizing the federal government’s agency stance, PM Modi declared that delivering a decisive blow to terrorism stays a nationwide precedence.