Pakistan seeks UN Security Council session over tensions with India

• Tensions running high between nuclear-armed rivals over April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir

ISTANBUL

Pakistan on Sunday announced its decision to brief the UN Security Council on the current regional situation amid escalating tensions with India over April 22 attack in Kashmir which left 26 people dead, state-run media reported.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar instructed Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN ambassador Asim Iftikhar to urgently initiate efforts to convene a Council meeting, according to Radio Pakistan.

“Pakistan will inform the UN Security Council about India's aggressive actions, provocations, and inflammatory statements,” it said.

Tensions are running high between nuclear-armed neighbors over the last month’s attack at touristic resort of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The report said Islamabad “will specifically highlight India's illegal measures aimed at suspending the Indus Water Treaty.”

Notably, Pakistan is currently one of 10 non-permanent members of the Council.

India blamed Pakistan, for the Pahalgam attack, saying it had “cross-border links.” Islamabad denied and instead offered a neutral probe with third-party monitoring.

Both countries have taken diplomatic measures against each other, including canceling visas for each other’s citizens and recalling some diplomatic staff.

India also suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960 water use and distribution agreement with Pakistan.

At the Council, the report said: “Pakistan will make it clear that how India's aggressive actions are endangering peace and security in South Asia and beyond.”

Continuing its diplomatic efforts to calm down the situation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Sunday spoke with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim during which he expressed Pakistan's deep concerns regarding the escalating tensions in South Asia due to India's “provocative actions ”following the Pahalgam incident.