A high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is scheduled for today to discuss the escalating tension between India and Pakistan in the wake of the April 22 terror incident in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 people.

The meeting takes place when tensions between the two neighbors who possess nuclear weapons are on the rise. The assault on the Baisaran valley was widely denounced. The incident in Jammu and Kashmir was also harshly denounced by the UN Security Council (UNSC) “in the strongest terms.” India and Pakistan are expected to get the chance to explain their different stances to the world community at today’s session.

“This is a position of principle,” said Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, Greece’s current president of the Security Council and Permanent Representative to the UN, prior to the meeting. No matter where it occurs, we denounce terrorism in all of its manifestations. However, we are worried about this tension that is growing across the area.

Pakistan Will Add to the Agenda
On Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that it will officially report “India’s aggressive actions, provocations, and provocative statements” to the UNSC. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, was directed by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to contact the Security Council right away and draw attention to New Delhi’s recent actions, especially the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. A Foreign Office statement said, “This significant diplomatic action is part of Pakistan’s efforts to present accurate facts to the international community.”

India has accused terrorist groups headquartered in Pakistan of planning the assault. India responded to the terror assault in Pahalgam with a slew of tough diplomatic and economic actions. These included closing the Attari-Wagah, a vital route for cross-border travel and commerce, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, and expelling Pakistani military attachés from New Delhi. In retaliation, Pakistan banned Indian carriers from using its airspace and halted all commerce with India, even via third parties. The decision by New Delhi to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty was also opposed by Islamabad, which cautioned that any effort to do so would be seen as an “act of war.”