United Nations/New Delhi, Apr 25 (UNI) Amid the rising bitterness in ties between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appealed to both nations to exercise maximum restraint and ensure that the situation does not deteriorate any further.

Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, answering a question at the daily press briefing on Thursday, said while the UN Secretary General has not had any direct contact with either of the two nations, “but I can confirm he is following the situation very closely and with very great concern”.

Dujarric said that the UN was very clear in its condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack of April 21 in which 26 tourists were killed by Pakistani-linked terrorists.

“We were very clear in our condemnation of the terror attack that occurred in Jammu and Kashmir two days ago that killed a large number of civilians,” he said.

Notably, the UN Secretary General in his statement on the attack had referred to it as an “armed attack” and not a “terror attack”.

Dujarric said: “But we very much appeal to both the governments of Pakistan and the government of India to exercise maximum restraint and to ensure that this situation and the developments we see do not deteriorate any further.”

He said both sides should resolve any issues between them peacefully.

“Any issues between Pakistan and India, we believe should be and can be resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement.”

In his statement on the Pahalgam attack a day ago, the UN Secretary General had sought to refer to Kashmir as a disputed region between the two nations – a notion India has rejected following the revocation of Article 370. India has said that with scrapping of its special status the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is no more a region of dispute.

The UN Secretary General’s statements on the rising tension comes as both India and Pakistan have downgraded their ties following the Pahalgam terror attack, with India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting the Attari land border check post, stopping issuance of visas to Pakistanis and asking Pakistani nationals to leave, and drastically slashing the size of the Pakistan High Commission officials.

Islamabad has warned that any attempt to divert the Indus waters will be taken as an act of war and it vowed reprisal.

Pakistan has also stopped the use of its airspace by India, or to use its land for sending consignments to third countries, mainly Afghanistan.

UNI RN