Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday to discuss recent regional developments.
According to a statement from Pakistan’s Mission to the UN, the meeting focused on the “evolving security situation in South Asia” and underscored “the imperative of de-escalation and the efforts being made to that effect.” The ambassador reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to peace and stability in the region.
Earlier, during a daily UN press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric addressed speculation about a possible visit by Secretary-General Guterres to India and Pakistan.
Dujarric noted that the UN chief had already spoken by phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar following the recent deadly attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
“The Secretary-General offered his good offices during those calls,” Dujarric said. “At this point, travel would only occur if both parties clearly agreed to such mediation, which is standard protocol in high-tension bilateral situations.”
When asked whether the UN chief would intervene more actively given reports that India was threatening to adopt a Gaza-style model in Kashmir, Dujarric reiterated Guterres’ prompt outreach after the attack and his continued offer to mediate, pending mutual consent from both nations.
