UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON - Concerned over increasing tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called on the two South Asian neighbours to find a "long-term" solution to the decades-old Kashmir dispute through dialogue.
"The Secretary-General is concerned about the recent escalation of violence along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan," a statement, read out by the UN Chief's Associate Spokesperson Vannina Maestracci at the regular noon briefing said. "He deplores the loss of lives and the displacement of civilians on both sides."
The Kashmir dispute is on the agenda of UN Security Council and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in his speech to the General Assembly last month, reminded the United Nations of its responsibility to resolve it.
"The Secretary-General encourages the Governments of India and Pakistan to resolve all differences through dialogue and to engage constructively to find a long-term solution for peace and stability in Kashmir," the statement said.
On Wednesday, the United States again expressed concern over violence along Line of Control in Kashmir and urged Pakistan and India to address contentious issues through dialogue.
“We’re concerned about any violence along the Line of Control. We continue to encourage the governments of India and Pakistan to engage in further dialogue to address these issues,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said at the daily briefing. She was responding to a question about continuing ceasefire violations with firing across the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region.
On Tuesday, the State Department had said Washington was in touch with Pakistani and Indian officials through its diplomats in Islamabad and New Delhi to calm down the situation in Kashmir, which is widely accepted as underlying cause of conflict between the two countries.
Pakistan says unprovoked Indian shelling has killed and wounded several people since the weekend.
“Our policy on Kashmir has not changed. We still believe that the pace, scope, and character of India and Pakistan’s dialogue on Kashmir is for these two countries to determine,” the spokesperson added.