Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday urged the United Nations to play its part in “stopping Indian atrocities” in Jammu and Kashmir and sought a “just and peaceful resolution” of the dispute. In response, UN Secretary General António Guterres reiterated his support for “serious dialogue” over the dispute, Abbasi’s office said.
Guterres and Abbasi met in the Chinese city of Boao during a summit of the Boao Forum for Asia.
Abbasi accused New Delhi of “unprovoked ceasefire violations”, which he said were “moving towards a dangerous escalation”. He also spoke about the “mindless killing spree of innocent Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces which knows no boundaries”.
The prime minister also told Guterres that Pakistan follows “zero tolerance policy towards terrorism and extremism” and claimed to have achieved significant success. Guterres “acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts towards counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance to the Afghan refugees and the UN peacekeeping operations”, according to Abbasi’s office.
On April 2, Guterres’ spokesperson had said the UN chief was very concerned about the situation in Kashmir and that any loss of civilians needs to be investigated. In January, his office had said he was available to help with mediation between India and Pakistan, but both parties need to agree on involving the UN in the Kashmir matter.
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