• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “maximum military restraint” from India and Pakistan.

• His remarks came hours after the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Altogether, nine sites have been targeted.

• ‘Operation Sindoor’ was India’s response to the brutal killing of 26 tourists near Pahalgam, in Jammu & Kashmir on April 22. 

• Guterres expressed deep concern over Indian military operations across the Line of Control and the international border with Pakistan.

• The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan, he said.

UNSC members call for de-escalation

• The UN Security Council discussed rising tensions between India and Pakistan at closed-door consultations, where envoys called for de-escalation. 

• Apart from the five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the UK and the US — the 10 non-permanent members in the Council are Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia.

• Pakistan, currently a non-permanent member of the Security Council, had requested for closed consultations on the situation.

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