Amid mounting India-Pakistan tensions, Pakistani Ambassador to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday and discussed the latest developments in the region. “The discussion focused on the evolving security situation in South Asia as well as the imperative of de-escalation and the efforts being made to that effect,” a press release issued by the Pakistan Mission to the UN said. “The Ambassador reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and stability,” it added. The President of the UN Security Council for May, Evangelos Sekeris of Greece, has said that he expects the 15-member body to meet “sooner, rather than later” on the serious situation between India and Pakistan following the April 22 armed attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir to deal with the heightening tensions between the two South Asian neighbours. “Its (the situation) is ongoing, evolving … (and) we are listening and monitoring closely,” he said on Thursday in response to a question at his press conference held to brief journalists on the programme of the Council’s work for the current month. Responding to a question if any of the two parties have requested a Council meeting on the subject, the Council president said the situation was under watch and “we will be seized of the matter, of course – this is certain that it will happen”. In this regard, he cited the press statement issued by the Council last week in which it strongly condemned the “terrorist” attack called for accountability and international cooperation to bring the perpetrators of attack in Pahalgam to justice. “We know that bigger member states are already in contact with both sides,” Ambassador Sekeris said. “If the situation is not de-escalating, I mean, calling for an extraordinary Security Council meeting, is something which can come as a consequence, because it is actually the main business of the Security Council,” noting that Pakistan is its non-permanent member. Noting that two big member states were involved in the confrontation, the president said, “you know its lot at stake, and let us hope that those efforts for de-escalation will be helpful, but we are prepared (to deal with it), of course.” “We also join calls for de-escalation and dialogue so that the situation does not spin-out of control,” he said, adding, that the Council may meet “sooner, rather than later.” Earlier, in the day UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric was asked at the regular UN briefing whether Guterres plans to travel to India and Pakistan as the situation was heating up. Dujarric replied that the UN chief had offered his good offices during his phone calls to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in the wake of the armed attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir . “So I don’t think there would be any travel until there’s a clear message that, as in any instance where we have high tensions between two countries, that they’ve both accepted his good offices,” he added. Another correspondent pointed out that India was threatening to use the model of Israel in Gaza, in Kashmir, and, with that tension going so high now, why not the secretary-general would interfere? The spokesman replied: “The Secretary-General, as I said, spoke very soon after the attack in Kashmir. He spoke to the Minister of External Affairs of India. He spoke to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and I think we told you a lot about those phone calls. And, again, as I said, he offered his good offices.” Meanwhile, the President of the UN Security Council for May, Evangelos Sekeris of Greece, said he expects the 15-member body to meet “sooner, rather than later” on the serious situation between India and Pakistan following the April 22 armed attack in Indian- occupied Kashmir to deal with the heightening tensions between the two South Asian neighbours. In response to a question at his press conference held to brief journalists on the programme of the Council’s work for the current month Evangelos stated that “Its (the situation) is ongoing, evolving … (and) we are listening and monitoring closely.” Responding to a question if any of the two parties have requested a Council meeting on the subject, the Council president said the situation was under watch and “we will be seized of the matter, of course -this is certain that it will happen”. In this regard, he cited the press statement issued by the Council last week in which it strongly condemned the “terrorist” attack called for accountability and international cooperation to bring the perpetrators of attack in Pahalgam to justice.