UN chief calls for restraint, says military fight can go out of control

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has advised India and Pakistan to exercise “maximum restraint” to avoid a military confrontation saying it “could spin out of control” even as Russia and Japan offered full support to New Delhi in its fight against terror.

Condemning the “awful" Pahalgam terror attack and offering condolences to the families of the victims, Guterres voiced concern over tensions between India and Pakistan being at their highest in years.

Speaking at his office, the UN headquarters, in New York, Guterres said, “Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution. It is essential at this critical hour to avoid a military confrontation that can easily spin out of control. Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink.”

The UN Secretary-General also said targeting civilians was unacceptable and those responsible must be brought to justice through credible and lawful means. He reiterated the offer of his “good offices" to both governments in the service of peace.

The remarks by Guterres came hours before a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting was to be organised to discuss the escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin on Monday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered full support to India in its fight against terror. Incidentally, Russia is one of the five permanent UNSC members holding veto powers.

“Putin strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam attack. He expressed full support to India in its fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, sharing on social media platform X the details of the Russian President’s phone call.

Both Putin and PM Modi reiterated their commitment to further deepen the India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership. The PM conveyed greetings to Putin on the celebration of Russia’s 80th Victory Day (May 9) anniversary and invited him for the India-Russia annual summit to be held in India later in the year. “The invitation (to visit India) was accepted with gratitude,” the Russian Embassy said in a statement later citing Putin.

“Both sides emphasised the need for an uncompromising fight against terrorism in all its manifestations. The Russia-India relations are not subject to external influence and continue to develop dynamically,” the Russian statement said.

Separately, Japan also backed India and sought global cooperation to counter terrorism. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani here and both leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms. “The Japanese Defence Minister offered full support to India,” the Ministry of Defence said.

Rajnath condemned Pakistan’s state policy of cross-border terrorism against India, perpetrated through state and non-state actors. He said such attacks destabilised the regional peace and called for a unified stand against terrorism.

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