ISLAMABAD: The foreign office of Pakistan said on Thursday that India’s election as a non-permanent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) member raised multiple question, adding that New Delhi’s actions in Indian-administered Kashmir and beyond negated the fundamental principles and objectives of the world organization’s charter.
The UN General Assembly on Wednesday elected four new non-permanent members of the Security Council for two years, including Norway, Ireland and Mexico. In the Asia-Pacific region, India ran unopposed and bagged 184 votes out of 192 countries that participated in the election.
“India stands in flagrant violation of several resolutions of the Security Council that prescribed a UN-supervised plebiscite to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their fundamental right to self-determination,” the foreign office spokesperson, Aisha Farooqui, said in her weekly media briefing.
“The charter stipulates that in discharging this responsibility, on behalf of the member states, the council shall act in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations,” she continued.
“India is a consistent violator of the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. Rather than felicitated, a country with such credentials must be held accountable. India must be asked to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council,” Farooqui added.
She said that Pakistan would be working with the rest of the UNSC member states in advancing the objectives of international peace and security in South Asia and beyond.
Pakistan’s former foreign secretary, Salman Bashir, said that Islamabad’s concerns were justified since India would only stonewall any UNSC initiative to uphold peace and justice for Kashmiris.
“Pakistan has serious objections to India’s credentials to serve as a Security Council member due its scant regard for the principles and purposes of the world organization and reckless conduct in sharp variance with several UNSC resolutions notably pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir,” he told Arab News.
The former Pakistani diplomat said the country should have stop Indian election by fielding its own candidate since it would have prevented a consensus within Asia-Pacific region.
“Usually regional nominations sail through,” he continued. “There were no other candidates from our region that Pakistan could have voted for.”
An international affairs expert, Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal said that India would disturb regional balance by utilizing its presence at the UNSC.
“It is a standard practice that one regional candidate goes to the UNSC and begins to focus more on the interests of its neighborhood,” he told Arab News, adding that India, however, was likely “to play dirty” due to its enmity with Pakistan and would weaken the regional consensus.
Pakistan slams Indian election to Security Council as non-permanent member
https://arab.news/4xcrd
Pakistan slams Indian election to Security Council as non-permanent member
- The foreign office says New Delhi committed flagrant violation of several UNSC resolutions on Kashmir
- Experts say Pakistan could have stopped the Indian election by fielding its own candidate from the region
Pakistan military says 12 soldiers killed in border fighting as Kabul calls for dialogue
- Military says 274 Afghan fighters killed, over 400 injured in ongoing operation
- Afghan authorities earlier said 55 Pakistani soldiers killed in retaliatory strikes
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Friday 12 soldiers had been killed in cross-border fighting with Afghan forces, as it detailed the scale of an ongoing border operation and accused the Kabul government of coordinating with militant groups targeting Pakistan.
The announcement followed days of escalating hostilities triggered by Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week on what Islamabad said were Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh militant camps inside Afghanistan. Since then, both governments have reported retaliatory operations and issued conflicting casualty figures, marking the most serious deterioration in relations between the neighbors in recent months.
The 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) shared frontier between the two nations, a key trade and transit corridor, has remained closed to trade and movement since October 2025 amid recurring tensions.
Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told a news conference in Rawalpindi that Pakistani forces had repelled coordinated attacks at 53 locations along the border and responded under what he described as Operation Ghazab lil-Haq.
“While safeguarding Pakistan’s honor and territorial integrity, 12 brave soldiers have embraced martyrdom in the operation so far, while 27 have been injured and one soldier is missing in action,” he said.
Chaudhry said Pakistan had destroyed 274 Taliban posts and positions and more than 400 fighters were injured, describing those figures as conservative estimates. He added that 73 posts were completely destroyed along the border and 18 had been captured.
He said Afghan Taliban forces had launched physical raids “in collusion and in support of an internationally declared terrorist organization” and accused the Taliban administration of acting in coordination with militant groups.
“The Afghan Taliban regime is the master proxy of these terrorist proxies which are operating from Afghanistan,” he said.
Kabul has repeatedly said it does not allow militants to operate in its territory.
Chaudhry said Pakistan had targeted 22 locations across the border, including in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika.
“All targets were selected with great care based on intelligence. They were military objectives, and utmost care was taken to avoid any civilian collateral damage,” he said.
He said the Taliban authorities faced a choice.
“Either they choose terrorists and terrorism or side with Pakistan,” he said.
KABUL CALLS FOR DIALOGUE
Separately on Friday afternoon, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid called for talks to resolve the crisis.
“We have always emphasized peaceful resolution, and now too we want the issue to be resolved through dialogue,” he said.
In a detailed statement earlier in the day, Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense said it had carried out airstrikes inside Pakistan in response to what it described as Pakistani “aerial incursions” into Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
Afghan officials said 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and that several posts were captured, claims denied by Islamabad.
None of the casualty figures or battlefield claims from either side could be independently verified.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar earlier said militants had attempted to launch drones inside Pakistani territory.
“Fitna al khawarij terrorists have attempted to launch small drones in Abbotabad, Swabi and Nowshera. Anti Drone Systems have brought down all the drones. No damage to life,” Tarar said.
“The incidents have again exposed direct linkages between Afghan Taliban Regime and Terrorism in Pakistan.”
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday visited General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, where he was briefed by the military leadership on the evolving situation.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Sharif said there would be “zero tolerance” toward what he described as collusion between the Afghan Taliban regime and militant elements.
“Pakistan knows very well how to defend itself against any aggression,” the statement quoted him as saying, adding that the armed forces were ready to safeguard the country.
Regional concern
Cross-border violence has intensified in recent weeks, with Pakistan blaming a surge in suicide bombings and militant attacks on insurgents it says are based in Afghanistan. Kabul denies providing safe havens and says Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal matter.
The latest clashes mark the third major escalation between the neighbors in less than a year. Similar strikes last year triggered weeklong fighting before Qatar, Türkiye and other regional actors mediated a ceasefire in October.
Several countries, including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, have expressed concern and urged restraint.
Operations on both sides were ongoing as of Friday evening.
