Members of the UN Security Council, meeting behind closed-doors on Monday, called for restraint and de-escalation leading to an India-Pakistan dialogue as tensions mounted between the two South Asian neighbours, with several members also underscoring early resolution of the Kashmir dispute, according to the Pakistani ambassador. In a statement made at the Council’s stakeout on the conclusion of the session, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said that the meeting, held under the “historic’ agenda item titled “India-Pakistan Question”, was requested by Pakistan to discuss the deteriorating regional security environment, heightened tensions between the two countries and the situation in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “That this (Kashmir) issue remains unresolved after more than seventy years is a stark reminder – conflicts may be ignored but they do not disappear. They deepen,” the Pakistan envoy said. He added, “the stakes are higher than ever, with escalating rhetoric, military posturing, and provocative actions threatening not just Pakistan, but regional and global peace.” “Pakistan believes all its objectives were largely served and achieved by this meeting,” Ambassador Asim told reporters. “We thank Council members for their engagement and their calls for restraint, de-escalation, and dialogue, he said. “Several members recognized the imperative of peacefully resolving Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with UN resolutions, the UN Charter, and wishes of the Kashmiri people. There was also a clear sense that regional stability cannot be sustained through unilateralism – it requires principled diplomacy and adherence to international law. Rejecting India’s attempt to implicate Pakistan in the Pahalgam attack, he said, “What India is claiming is nothing but recycled allegations – unsubstantiated, unverified, designed to serve its political interests and strategic objectives which include its efforts to divert attention from its repression and human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, and to undermine and delegitimize the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination.” As regards India’s unilateral suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty – a legally-binding accord brokered by the World Bank and upheld even during wars, the Pakistani envoy said, “Any attempt to disrupt their flow constitutes aggression.” At the same time, Ambassador Asim said the Council was reminded that the core of regional instability is the unresolved dispute over Jammu and Kashmir where the people continue to face gross human rights violations – extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, demolition of homes, restrictions on expression and media, and a systematic denial of their right to self-determination. Pakistan, he said, also called out India’s weaponization of disinformation – efforts to malign Pakistan and fabricate narratives, and reminded the Council that as a frontline state in the fight against terrorism, the country sacrificed over 90,000 lives along with immense economic setback.