A team of United Nations experts has categorically declared India’s military action against Pakistan following the Pahalgam incident as an “unlawful use of force.” The UN findings pertain to India’s aerial strikes of May 6–7, 2025, which were carried out after a terrorist attack in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on April 22, 2025. The expert report, finalised in October 2025 and published on December 15, 2025, concluded that India’s actions violated international law and fundamental human rights.While examining India’s claim of self-defense, UN experts noted that India had no “right to respond, pre-empt, or deter cross-border attacks” by launching strikes inside Pakistan. India neither notified the UN Security Council nor invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter, which mandates formal reporting when a state claims self-defense. Consequently, India violated Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.

Under international law, the right of self-defense may only be exercised if an armed attack is attributable to a foreign state, either directly or through non-state actors acting on its behalf. In this case, the UN experts found no evidence; direct or indirect, linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack. The report clearly stated that........

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