Pakistan serves notice to UNSC, says right to respond

United Nations, May 7 (IANS) Pakistan has served notice that it was preparing to further attack India, telling the Security Council that it reserves the right to hit back after New Delhi launched a barrage of missiles against it, according to its UN mission.

On Wednesday, India retaliated against Pakistan for the terrorist attack last month that killed 26 people at Pahalgam in Kashmir.

The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba, had owned responsibility for the attack.

The Council was “informed that Pakistan reserves the right to respond appropriately to this aggression at a time and place of its choosing” in accordance with the UN Charter, the Pakistan mission said in a statement on Tuesday night.

It added that it informed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Council President Evangelos Sekeris, and General Assembly President Philomen Yang about what it called “the blatant aggression by India”.

The Pakistani mission’s statement did not say if it was calling for a meeting of the Council.

The Council met on Friday at its request for a closed consultation on the tension between the two countries.

It received a briefing from Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Mohamed Khiari, who later told reporters the situation was “volatile”.

India’s Defence Ministry said that it launched “Operation Sindoor” with “focused strikes” on nine “terrorist infrastructure strikes” in Pakistan and the Kashmir territory it occupies.

After India launched the missile attack, Guterres said through his spokesperson, “World cannot afford military confrontation between India and Pakistan”.

The Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries”.

On Monday, Guterres reiterated his strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and said, "Targeting civilians is unacceptable – and those responsible must be brought to justice through transparent, credible, and lawful means".

Indian Army reported shelling by Pakistan into Indian territory on Wednesday, and Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian jets, although India did not use aircraft in the attacks, which were carried out with missiles.

--IANS

arul/dpb