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• Ambassador to UN informs Security Council about rapid increase in Indian military activity on border
• State Dept terms India-Pakistan standoff ‘very delicate situation’, says Washington is ‘engaged, not watching from afar’
WASHINGTON: After Pakistan urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to end its silence on the Kashmir dispute and take concrete steps to reverse India’s unilateral actions in the disputed region, the US State Department once again called on both countries to work towards a “responsible solution”.
In a closed-door meeting on Monday, Pakistan expressed apprehensions of a possible attack by India, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN told Dawn.
In a detailed conversation, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said they had informed the Security Council that there was an imminent threat of kinetic action from India.
According to Mr Ahmad, India has mobilised its forces and put its air force on ‘red alert’.
“The missiles have been moved forward. They are doing civil defence drills. So yes, there’s an imminent threat,” he told Dawn.
Talking about Monday’s meeting, the envoy said that all 15 UNSC members agreed there should be no further escalation and supported the secretary-general’s offer to help defuse the situation.
He said the meeting was an opportunity to inform UNSC members about the grave situation in occupied Kashmir, and about the “dangers to peace in our region”.
“This was the first UNSC meeting on Kashmir in five years,” Amb Ahmad noted.
He said several members recognised the need to peacefully resolve all issues, including the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with UNSC resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people.
“The Security Council must act in accordance with its own resolutions,” he said, urging the forum for concrete steps to reverse India’s “unlawful and destabilising” actions of August 5, 2019.
The envoy pointed to India’s accusations in the wake of the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, saying it implied “cross-border linkages” of the attackers without investigation or evidence. “Pakistan categorically rejects India’s baseless allegations.”
He said Pakistan had underlined “India’s track record of supporting terrorism in Pakistan, Canada and the United States”.
Commenting on India’s decision to unilaterally suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), he said any attempt to disrupt their flow constitutes “aggression”, adding that the issue was also raised the issue at the UNSC meeting.
“The members supported our position. They said that the treaty must be respected.”
Washington briefing
Separately, in Washington, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh briefed scholars from leading think tanks on the situation in South Asia.
Mr Sheikh said the current crisis can become an “opportunity to finally resolve the longstanding dispute of Jammu and Kashmir”.
“Resolving this crisis could become a legacy of President Trump as a global peacemaker.”
Mr Sheikh warned of growing instability, saying: “Jingoism and hegemonic proclivities have put regional peace and stability at stake. Pakistan cannot be blamed for brutal legacies, electoral expediencies and administrative inadequacies.”
He also raised questions over India’s allegations, asking how Pakistan’s alleged involvement could be established within 10 minutes of the attack.
“There was no investigation, no evidence, and no explanation.”
The ambassador said Pakistan demanded an independent and credible investigation into the Pahalgam incident. “We are ready to cooperate. The prime minister of Pakistan conveyed the same offer to the UK High Commissioner in Islamabad.”
He also called out India’s unilateral decision to suspend the IWT, saying it was contrary to the treaty’s provisions.
State Dept
Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce called the standoff between India and Pakistan a “very delicate situation”, saying that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were engaged with the crisis in South Asia, not merely watching from afar.
“This is a dynamic, serious issue. We continue to urge Pakistan and India to work towards a responsible resolution that maintains long-term peace and regional stability in South Asia,” Ms Bruce told a press briefing on Tuesday.
“We remain in touch with the governments of both countries on multiple levels, we are not watching from afar in that regard, we are engaged.”
“We are aware of various reports that are happening in the midst of this very delicate situation,” she said, reposing confidence in the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Rubio on the matter.
Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2025
