Subhechcha Ganguly 
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday held separate phone calls with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The outreach came as Pakistan claimed it had “credible intelligence” indicating a possible Indian military strike within the next 24–36 hours.
Guterres strongly condemned the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. He emphasized the need for justice through lawful means and expressed deep concern over the escalating situation in the region. The UN chief also reiterated the importance of avoiding confrontation and offered his good offices to support de-escalation efforts.
On X (formerly Twitter), Shehbaz Sharif said he urged Guterres to initiate a neutral and transparent investigation into the Pahalgam attack, rejecting India’s accusations as “baseless.” Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to peace but asserted that the country would “defend its sovereignty with full force if challenged.”
Jaishankar, in a separate post, appreciated Guterres’ unequivocal condemnation of the terror attack and reaffirmed India’s resolve to bring its perpetrators to justice.
Pakistani federal minister Attaullah Tarar alleged India was preparing to launch military action “on the pretext of concocted claims” and accused New Delhi of attempting to divert attention from the real issues.
