Flag lowering ceremony at Wagah border between Pakistan and India, Photo: Kamran Ali/Wikimedia Commons
Amid exacerbating South Asian security situation, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has underscored the need for India and Pakistan to find a peaceful solution to their conflicts through engagement and dialogue.
“He (the UN chief) is watching the situation very closely and reiterates the need for the parties to find a peaceful solution through engagement and dialogue,” the secretary-general’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric told reporters at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
Questioned why the UN chief was reluctant to talk about the festering Kashmir dispute that was pushing the two nuclear-armed neighbors to the verge of a precarious conflict-like situation, the spokesman said, “I don’t think it is a matter of reluctance.”
The spokesperson said the secretary-general was aware of the developments and was keeping a watch on the situation.
“The Secretary-General is a student of history, he knows what has happened,” the spokesperson added.
The ongoing tensions stem from deteriorating situation in Indian-controlled part of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir territory, where the use of brutal force including pellet guns against civilian protesters has alienated the local Muslim majority population.
While several South Asian watchers say the current movement for freedom from the Indian rule is indigenous, New Delhi alleges that Pakistan is fueling the anti-India demonstration.
Last week saw the troops along the Line of Control in Kashmir exchange fire, which killed and injured several people on both sides.
