UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has deplored the ongoing killings in Indian-administered Kashmir, where security forces have used pellets and other brutal tactics to contain widespread protests, and urged talks between New Delhi and Islamabad toward resolution of the longstanding dispute.
“I stand ready to offer my good offices, should it be requested by both sides, to facilitate dialogue in order to achieve a negotiated settlement,” he wrote in a letter he sent in response to a letter from Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
The Pakistani leader had apprised the UN chief of the predicament of the Kashmiri people in the face of Indian suppression..
“I deplore the loss of life and hope that all efforts will be made to avoid further violence,” the secretary-general said.
Reports say tt least 70 Kashmiri civilians have been killed and thousands more injured in Indian held Kashmir in clashes with security forces after the killing of Burhan Wani in a military operation on July 8. A line of control divides the UN-recognized disputed territory, controlled by India and Pakistan.
In his August 5 letter, Sharif called for efforts to end the “persistent and egregious violation of the basic human rights” of the Kashmiri people and also to implement the decades-old UN Security Council resolutions providing a framework for the settlement of Kashmir dispute through a plebiscite.
“I appreciated the continued commitment of Pakistan to the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute for the sake of regional peace and security, as you reaffirmed in your letter,” Ban said in his letter.
“The United Nations remains convinced that it is only through dialogue that the outstanding issues between Pakistan and India, including on Kashmir, can be addressed.”
He looked forward to meeting the Pakistani leader again during the upcoming seventy-first session of the United Nations General Assembly to “discuss matters of common interest.”
Islamabad has been actively pursuing the Kashmir issue at various forums at the United Nations, with Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi focusing on it in her statement at the General Assembly in a debate on human rights.
The diplomat also raised the issue during a meeting as with the President of the Security Council last month.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, he United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has offered to send fact-finding missions to both sides of Kashmir.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said Pakistan was open to the idea of UN high commissioner visiting the Pakistani-administered part of the disputed territory.
“AJK (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) is an area open to everyone and is frequented by foreign tourists and members of the diplomatic community in Pakistan, including representatives of the United Nations,” Zakaria said, according to a statement.
