Ahead of the UN Security Council meeting on India and Pakistan, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that he is “pained” to see their ties reaching a “boiling point.”

“Tensions between India and Pakistan are at their highest in years,” he said, calling on both countries to step back from the brink.

“It is also essential—especially at this critical hour—to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control,” he added.

Referring to the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, Guterres said, “I understand the raw feelings following the awful terror attack in Pahalgam. It pains me to see relations reaching a boiling point between the two countries.”

Condemning the attack, he stated, “Targeting civilians is unacceptable, and those responsible must be brought to justice through transparent, credible, and lawful means.”

Reiterating his appeal, Guterres said, “Now is the time for maximum restraint and for stepping back from the brink.”

The Security Council meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. in New York (12:30 a.m. Tuesday in India).

The Resistance Front, an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the terrorist massacre of 26 people in Pahalgam.

Following the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed: “We will identify, trace, and punish every terrorist and their supporters. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.”

Guterres spoke to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last Tuesday to express his “deep concern” over the rising tensions between the two countries.

IANS