Islamabad [Pakistan], October 7 (ANI): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who arrived in Pakistan for a three-day official visit, on Tuesday chose to ignore a reference to Kashmir made by a Pakistani journalist and instead spoke of a crisis of legitimacy that the UN Security Council suffers.
The remarks were made while Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and UN Secretary-General António Guterres held a joint press conference, where a Pakistani journalist pressed the UN leadership on the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
Ignoring the question, the UN Chief stated, “I have the opinion that all problems can be solved by peace and dialogue, and my good offices are always available for all situations.”
“The question of the Security Council is simple, Security Council does not represent the world of today. Just to give an example, we have three European members in the Security Council and no African member in the Security Council, I mean permanent members, which means that the Security Council has a problem of legitimacy and has a problem of effectiveness,” he added.
The UN Chief then made a strong case for multilaterlism in the Security council calling for extensive reform in the functioning of the body.
“We are witnessing today a situation in which superpowers, permanent members of the Security Council, are the first to start conflicts, and sometimes violating international law, creates a situation in which many countries believe they can do whatever they want because nothing will happen to them, and we see that around the world,” he said.
“And this is something that can only be solved with a reform of the Security Council that makes it more legitimate, but also with the capacity of the countries that have more responsibilities in the world to understand that when the principles of law are at stake, they must unite to make sure that they are fully implemented,” he added.
Meanwhile, at another international summit, the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh exercised India's right to reply and exposed Islamabad's persistent habit of peddling baseless propaganda and delivered a severe diplomatic rebuke to Pakistan over its unwarranted references to Jammu and Kashmir.
Exposing Pakistan’s desperate attempts to exploit multilateral platforms, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh stated, “Honourable Chairperson, we deplore the attempts by a delegation to politicise the forum and to bring in unwarranted references to issues which do not fall within the purview of this forum or meeting.”
Putting Islamabad firmly in its place over its malicious narratives, he further stated, “Quite habitually, this delegation attempts to indulge in propaganda and makes baseless allegations against India. The Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are, and shall always remain integral and inalienable parts of India.”
The resolute pushback against cross-border hypocrisy follows India's uncompromising stance against terrorism, underscored after the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 people were brutally killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists who targeted civilians after asking about their religion. In response to the tragedy, India launched Operation Sindoor to target terror infrastructure and training facilities in Pakistan and PoJK, punishing the perpetrators and planners of terrorism. When Pakistan escalated hostilities, India pounded its airbases, forcing it to seek a ceasefire, while all three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack were subsequently eliminated by the Army, CRPF, and J-K Police during 'Operation Mahadev'. (ANI)
In Islamabad UN chief Guterres ignores question on 'Kashmir', flags Security Council's crisis of legitimacy
