India, May 5 -- India and Pakistan should exercise maximum restraint and avoid a military confrontation that can "easily spin out of control", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the South Asian neighbours over the Pahalgam terror attack.

Guterres offered to mediate between the Indian and Pakistani governments and said the United Nations will support any initiative that promotes de-escalation and diplomacy. He made the remarks at a media stakeout in New York hours ahead of consultations behind closed doors at the UN Security Council on the situation between India and Pakistan.

Describing tensions between India and Pakistan at their "highest in years", Guterres said: "I...