The United Nations Security Council met behind closed doors on May 5, 2025, to deliberate over the rapidly escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Triggered by a deadly terrorist attack in the Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir, the situation has raised global alarm over the potential for military conflict between the two nuclear powers.
UN sources confirmed that the session focused heavily on the risk of miscalculation and the urgent need for conflict prevention mechanisms. The April 22 attack, blamed by India on a Pakistan-based terror group, led to a diplomatic breakdown: embassies recalled staff, treaties suspended, and military deployments increased on both sides of the Line of Control.
The session was marked by unusually direct exchanges. The Indian envoy presented detailed intelligence purportedly linking Pakistan’s security apparatus to the attackers. Pakistan’s ambassador categorically denied state involvement and accused India of using the crisis to deflect from its own domestic unrest in Kashmir.
UN member states were divided on how to proceed. While Western nations called for Pakistan to dismantle terror safe havens, others like China and Turkey called for a more balanced approach that included international mediation. African and Latin American representatives pushed for a broader peacebuilding initiative.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has offered his good offices, and a follow-up diplomatic track is being quietly discussed. Although no formal UNSC resolution was issued, the secretariat has initiated backchannel diplomacy to encourage a return to dialogue, perhaps under the SAARC or Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) umbrellas.
The situation remains volatile. The UNSC is expected to reconvene if hostilities worsen. For now, the Council’s message is clear: the world is watching, and the cost of conflict would be catastrophic.
