The closed-door United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting convened at Pakistan’s request in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack appears to have diplomatically backfired for Islamabad. According to Congress MP and former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor, Pakistan expected to leverage the session to spotlight Kashmir and censure India, but instead faced sharp scrutiny over its links to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—the terror group tied to the April 22 attack that killed 26 people, including many tourists.
Tharoor noted that despite Pakistan’s intentions, the meeting ended without a resolution or joint statement, highlighting its growing isolation on the international stage. He explained that no formal resolution was possible given geopolitical alignments: China would veto anything against Pakistan, and many nations would oppose any anti-India motion, reflecting the typical UNSC stalemate on South Asian issues.
Sources present at the meeting said several UNSC members asked Pakistan pointed questions about its ties to LeT, cross-border terrorism, and recent aggressive posturing, including missile tests and nuclear threats. Even China, while usually a reliable ally, refrained from backing Pakistan’s post-meeting press statement—a notable diplomatic signal.
Pakistan’s attempt to revive the Kashmir issue and claim that India was escalating militarily reportedly failed to gain traction. Instead, the focus shifted toward Pakistan’s credibility and its failure to curb terror proxies like The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked group behind the Pahalgam attack.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the situation the most dangerous India-Pakistan flare-up in years, urging restraint and condemning the targeting of civilians. He emphasized the need for accountability through “credible and lawful means.”
In sum, while Pakistan sought to paint India as the aggressor, the UNSC meeting reflected a deepening skepticism toward Islamabad’s narrative, with global attention turning instead to its role in fostering terrorism.
