UNSC holds closed consultation on India, Pak situation; president Sekeris calls it productive
As he left the meeting on Monday, he told reporters, 'The Security Council is always helpful in such efforts' to de-escalate. "It is the responsibility of the Council". 'It was a productive meeting and helpful', he said.
Since the meeting was a closed consultation, its proceedings are secret without official records.
Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari, who briefed the meeting, said on his way out that all want de-escalation.
Asked how he viewed it, he said, 'Situation is volatile", and would not elaborate.
Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva, who attended the meeting, said, 'We hope for de-escalation".
Sekeris convened the meeting at the request of Pakistan's Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad.
Ahmad called for a closed consultation because countries that are not members of the Council are not allowed to participate in it under Council procedures.
That effectively shut out India, while Pakistan, as a current elected member, attended.
Before the meeting, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the situation was at a 'boiling point" and asked the two countries to 'step back from the brink'.
"It is also essential – especially at this critical hour -- to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control', he said.
Condemning 'strongly' the terrorist massacre of 26 people in Pahalgam last month, he said, "I understand the raw feelings following the awful terror attack'.
The Resistance Front, an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba, owned responsibility for the terrorist attack.
Speaking to reporters after the consultation, Ahmad 'categorically' denied India's charge that Pakistan was involved in the attack.
He vacillated between militancy and conciliation. He referred to Kashmir as a disputed territory welling with mass discontent that is at the root of the problem with India, rather than terrorism, while also offering cooperation with India.
'We are fully prepared to defend our sovereignty', he said.
'We reiterate our commitment to peaceful cooperative relations with all our neighbours, including India, [and] we remain open to dialogue', he added.
'In view of the gravity of the situation, the calls of dialogue and de-escalation and peaceful resolution of disputes as we also heard from the Council members today are most pertinent', Ahmad said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
12 minutes ago
- First Post
'Peace is a choice': Pakistan as chair, UNSC resolution cites terrorism among 'persistent scourges'
Interestingly, the resolution said that terrorism 'remains a persistent scourge' at a time when Pakistan is the council chair for the month of July. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, is the council president this month read more The UN Security Council has adopted a draft resolution to settle disputes peacefully and urged member states to utilise mechanisms outlined under Article 33 of the UN Charter, including negotiation, enquiry, and mediation. 'Peace is a choice, and the world expects the Security Council to help countries make that choice', the UN Chief Antonio Guterres said during a debate on promoting international peace. Interestingly, the resolution said that terrorism 'remains a persistent scourge' at a time when Pakistan is the council chair for the month of July. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, is the council president this month. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Refresh for updates.
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
IPS officer ordered to publish apology in newspapers, social media as SC finalises divorce
Settling a deeply contested marital dispute, the Supreme Court Tuesday granted divorce to a couple and directed that the wife, who is an IPS officer, to issue an 'an unconditional apology to the husband and his family' and have it published it newspapers and on social media as part of the settlement. The couple, an IPS officer and Delhi-based businessman, had married in 2015 and separated in 2018. The woman became an IPS officer in 2022, three years after she separated from her husband and moved to her hometown in Uttar Pradesh. According to the terms of the court-mandated settlement, the woman did not seek alimony or maintenance and instead offered to transfer property owned by her parents to her estranged husband. These properties — three pieces of land in Aligarh — will be transferred by the officer's mother who owns them through a gift deed. 'As a result of the cases filed by the wife, the husband remained in jail for a period of 109 days and his father for 103 days and the entire family suffered physical and mental trauma and harassment. What they have suffered cannot be resituated or compensated in any manner,' the top court said, directing the IPS officer, and her parents to tender an unconditional apology to the husband and his family members which shall be published in the national edition of the renowned one English and one Hindi newspaper. 'Such apology shall also be published and circulated on all social media platforms,' the SC said in its order. The apex court also granted primary custody of the child to the mother and visitation rights to the father. The SC further granted police protection to the husband and his family, cautioning the IPS officer to 'never use her position and power as an IPS officer or any other position that she may hold in future,' to cause 'any bodily or mental injury to the husband and his family, in any manner whatsoever.' A bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih also added that 'the apology is made to bring about amicable closure to the protracted legal battle and associated emotional and mental stress. It is without prejudice to/for either party. It shall not ever be used against (her),' the apex court said. Under Article 142 of the Constitution, which gives the SC power to do complete justice, the court directly grants divorce for irretrievable breakdown of marriage. The top court was hearing two transfer petitions filed by the couple. While the wife had filed cases in UP, the husband had filed cases in Delhi's Rohini court. Goel had sought divorce and did not seek either alimony or maintenance. The husband, in turn, had sought custody of their eight-year-old daughter. The marital dispute soon turned into a litany of cases against each other. While the wife alleged domestic violence, rape, and made income tax complaints, the husband alleged defamation and even challenged the IPS candidature of the wife.
News18
21 minutes ago
- News18
US Claims Key Role In India-Pakistan De-escalation At UN Security Council Debate
Last Updated: US credited these developments to the role played by the US under former President Donald Trump, saying his leadership encouraged parties to pursue diplomatic paths. The United States said it played a key role in helping defuse tensions between India and Pakistan in recent months, as part of its broader commitment to advancing peaceful resolutions to global disputes. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council's open debate on 'Multilateralism and the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes', Acting US Representative to the UN, Ambassador Dorothy Shea, said Washington has actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to de-escalate conflicts around the world. 'Across the globe, the United States continues to work with parties to disputes, wherever possible, to find peaceful solutions," Shea told the Council. Shea noted that American diplomatic leadership had contributed to calming several flashpoints in recent months, including in South Asia. 'In the past three months alone, the US leadership has delivered de-escalations between Israel and Iran, between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and between India and Pakistan," she said. She credited these developments to the role played by the US under former President Donald Trump, saying his leadership encouraged parties to pursue diplomatic paths. 'The United States, under President Trump's leadership, played an important role in encouraging the parties to reach these resolutions, which we applaud and support," she said. The diplomat urged all UN member states involved in disputes or active conflicts to emulate these examples and commit to ceasing violence through dialogue. The meeting was convened under the presidency of Pakistan, which is currently a non-permanent member of the 15-nation Council for the month of July. During the session, Pakistan also raised bilateral issues such as Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty, drawing expected criticism from India. In the wake of the horrific April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, for which The Resistance Front had claimed responsibility and in which 26 civilians were killed, India decided that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Shea said for peaceful dispute settlement processes to be credible, their outcomes must be implemented. 'We again call on China to abide by the 2016 ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal convened under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, which is both final and legally binding on China and the Philippines," she said. She said for nine years now, China has refused to live up to its obligations as a party to the Convention, and instead continued to publicly reject the ruling, interfere with the exercise of high seas freedoms, and assert expansive and unlawful claims that infringe on the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of other South China Sea littoral states, including the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. 'We once again condemn China's expansive and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea and the dangerous and destabilising ways it attempts to enforce them," she said. Since May 10, Trump, as well as his administration, has repeated the claim several times on various occasions that the US president 'helped settle" the tensions between India and Pakistan and that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America will do a 'lot of trade" with them if they stop the conflict. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10. The Resistance Front (TRF), a front for Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. Last week, the US designated The Resistance Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). India welcomed the US decision to designate TRF as a designated FTO and SDGT. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 23, 2025, 07:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
