United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack must be penalised but called for restraint. His statement follows the attack claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammed that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force officers in Jammu and Kashmir and the alleged harassment of Kashmiris in parts of the country that followed.

On Tuesday, the UN chief had called for a de-escalation of hostilities between India and Pakistan.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said Guterres condemned the attack and stressed that the perpetrators be held accountable under international law. “At the same time, the Secretary-General urgently appeals to the governments of both India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint to ensure the situation does not further deteriorate,” Dujarric said.

Guterres has called for the resolution of the matter through “meaningful mutual engagement”.

On Tuesday, India said that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan refused to condemn the Pulwama attack. The government also said that Khan’s claim that Pakistan will investigate the attack if proof is provided was a “lame excuse”.

Khan, however, claimed that New Delhi has blamed Islamabad for the attack without any evidence.

A day after the attack, India revoked Pakistan’s Most Favoured Nation tag, and said it would isolate Islamabad globally. Islamabad has refuted allegations that it was connected with the attack.