UN chief strongly condemns Pahalgam terror attack

United Nations: The UN is looking at the terrorist strike in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the attack, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday.

Guterres “strongly condemned the armed attack in Jammu and Kashmir” on Tuesday and “stresses that attacks against civilians are unacceptable, under any circumstances,” Dujarric said.

“The secretary-general offers his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the victims,” he said.

“We’re just looking at that incident right, that horrific terror attack in which more than 20 people were killed, which we strongly condemn,” he added.

The targeted attack by a front organisation of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) killed tourists at Pahalgam, a popular tourism spot.

Tensions have mounted between the two neighbouring countries following the attack.

“The Defence, Military, Naval, and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared persona non grata” and given a week to leave India, and the diplomatic mission is ordered to downsize, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

It added that Pakistanis in India under certain visas have been given 48 hours to leave the country.

India also said the Indus Water Treaty will be held in abeyance.

Asked by a reporter at his daily briefing how concerned Guterres was that the attack could intensify the tensions and lead to a cross-border conflict, Dujarric said, “We’re not going to predict or analyse what may happen”.

“I will leave it to analysts as that would lead to a rise in tensions,” he said.

The LeT front that styles itself ‘The Resistance Front’ and ‘Kashmir Resistance’ said that it carried out the attack.

With the LeT declared an international terrorist organisation and under sanctions, the terrorist organisation sprouts fronts as a diversionary tactic to take the blame for attacks by its operatives.

–IANS