According to a U.N. spokeswoman, Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif of Pakistan and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of India had separate talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday.
“The Secretary-General further emphasised the need to prevent a conflict that may have disastrous outcomes and conveyed his profound worry about the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said,
“He offered his Good Offices to support de-escalation efforts.”
The UN Secretary-General has had an important, yet usually limited, role in the Indo-Pakistani conflict, specifically on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute issue. This activity has developed across decades, prioritising mediation, observation, and exercising “good offices” in order to spur negotiations and ensure peace is maintained.
Previously, The Secretary-General has repeatedly offered his “good offices” to make the communication and negotiations between India and Pakistan, particularly over the issue of Kashmir. For instance, Secretary-General Kofi Annan made an offer to mediate the conflict in 2004, but it was rejected by India.
The Secretary-General directs UN observer missions like the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which observes ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) between Jammu and Kashmir. The mission reports are presented to the Secretary-General periodically, who forwards information to the Security CouncilSecurity Council and the parties.
In times of increased conflict, the Secretary-General has suggested the deployment of further observation missions, for example, the United Nations India-Pakistan Observation Mission (UNIPOM) during the war of 1965, to monitor ceasefires and report ceasefire violations.
During periods of armed escalation, the Secretary-General has demanded immediate ceasefires and the disengagement of troops. For example, in the conflict of 1965, the Secretary-General insisted that both sides should resume the ceasefire accord and requested the Security Council to move towards a stoppage of fighting. The Secretary-General has also denounced acts of violence and terrorism in the region, demanding restraint and respect for international law.
