In closed-door meet, UNSC discusses faceoff

NEW DELHI: UN security council was scheduled to hold closed-door consultations on Monday on the rising India-Pakistan tensions , after Pakistan as a non-permanent member sought a meeting to brief member-states about what it described as India's aggressive behaviour. Pakistan has accused India of preparing to launch an attack on the country despite its own warmongering that has seen it test firing missiles twice in past few days.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar has been in touch with council members, including Greece which holds the presidency of the council for May, to drive home India's point about Pakistan's use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy and to mobilise support for India's efforts to bring the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terrorist attack to justice.

The UNSC closed-door consultations are of informal nature and unlikely to lead to any substantive outcome in this case - except allowing Pakistan a shot at diplomatic grandstanding - much like the closed consultations Islamabad sought through ally China in 2019 after India revoked the special status of J&K.

The discussions - expected to begin around 12.30am IST Tuesday - will take place not under the India-Pakistan Question that involves J&K but the more generic "threats to international peace and security". Pakistan had said Sunday it will inform the council about how India's "aggressive actions are jeopardising regional peace and security". Pakistan is expected to raise the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty that India put in abeyance after the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

While most council members have been supportive of India's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, India remains wary of China's support to Pakistan in UNSC. This was obvious in the way Pakistan worked with China to water down the council's condemnation of the terrorist attack. Unlike its condemnation of the Pulwama attack in 2019, the council did not ask State to cooperate specifically with the Indian govt and didn't name the terror group that had taken responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan said last week that as a member-state it has the right to convene a meeting when it feels appropriate because of the threat to regional and global peace.