United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres held separate telephonic conversations on Wednesday with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The calls came against the backdrop of Pakistan’s claim that it has "credible intelligence" suggesting an imminent Indian military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours.

The UN chief’s outreach followed the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people — mostly tourists — lost their lives.

Guterres strongly condemned the attack and expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

According to UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres reiterated “the importance of pursuing justice and accountability for the Pahalgam attacks through lawful means” during both calls. He also conveyed his “deep concern at the rising tensions between India and Pakistan” and offered the UN’s “good offices to support any de-escalation efforts”.

Pakistan claims Indian strike imminent

Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s federal minister for information and broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, alleged that India was planning military action against Pakistan, possibly within the next 36 hours. “Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to carry out military action against Pakistan on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident,” Tarar wrote on social media platform X.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also took to X to confirm his conversation with the UN chief. “I reaffirmed Pakistan’s condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, rejected baseless Indian accusations, and called for a transparent and neutral investigation into the Pahalgam incident,” he wrote. Sharif also urged Guterres to play a more active role in resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

He added, “Pakistan remains committed to peace, but will defend its sovereignty with full force if challenged.”

India calls for justice

Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also confirmed his conversation with the Secretary-General. “Appreciate his unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Agreed on the importance of accountability,” Jaishankar wrote on X. “India is resolved that the perpetrators, planners and backers of this attack are brought to justice.”

India has thus far refrained from publicly responding to Pakistan’s claims of a looming strike, but officials have indicated that the attack in Pahalgam was orchestrated by militants backed from across the border.

Diplomatic watchers say the latest developments reflect a dangerous escalation reminiscent of past flare-ups, including the 2019 Pulwama-Balakot episode. While the UN’s offer of good offices signals concern at the international level, it remains to be seen whether either country will opt for de-escalation in the short term.

There has been no official confirmation from India regarding any planned military action, and Pakistan has yet to provide concrete evidence of the intelligence it claims to possess.