UN chief avoids Kashmir question, meets Pakistan Army chief in Rawalpindi

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday did not directly answer a Pakistani journalist’s question on UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, instead stressing the need for peace and dialogue. Guterres also met Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi — the heart of Pakistan's security estabilishment.

During a joint press conference with Pakistan's deputy prime minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Guterres was asked about the Security Council's resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.

He did not directly address the question, saying: “I have the opinion that all problems can be solved by peace and dialogue, and my good offices are always available for all situations.”

Guterres then spoke about what he described as a crisis of legitimacy and effectiveness facing the UN Security Council, arguing that its composition does not reflect the world today.

“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,” he said, calling for reform of the Security Council.

Later, Guterres met Munir at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Army, the two discussed matters of mutual interest, the regional security environment and the UN's role in promoting international peace and security.

The statement said the two sides also exchanged views on “regional stability, the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, India’s abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty and terrorism emanating from Afghanistan”.

India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed.

During the meeting, Munir reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to international peace and highlighted the country's contributions to UN peacekeeping missions. Guterres, meanwhile, paid tribute to Pakistan and its armed forces for their contributions to UN peacekeeping and what he described as sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.

Guterres arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for a three-day official visit. He met President Asif Ali Zardari, who conferred on him the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan's highest civil awards, and also held talks with Ishaq Dar.

The UN chief also visited the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).

India meanwhile reiterated its position on Jammu and Kashmir at the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Arusha, Tanzania.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, exercising India's right of reply, objected to references to Jammu and Kashmir by the Pakistani delegation and said the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are, and shall always remain integral and inalienable parts of India”.

India has maintained that Pakistan-occupied areas of Jammu and Kashmir are under illegal occupation and that the entire Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India.