In a clear rebuff to Pakistan’s renewed bid to internationalise the Kashmir issue with a fresh push for UN intervention, the world body has strongly reiterated its call for bilateral resolution of all differences between India and Pakistan.
Without confirming receipt of a letter reportedly sent by the Pakistan Government over the weekend, a UN spokesman on Monday drew attention to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s statement last week, calling on India and Pakistan to resolve their differences through dialogue.
Pakistani media had reported that in the letter, dispatched on Saturday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz underlined the need to resolve the Kashmir issue in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
When a Pakistani journalist asked about the letter and the Secretary-General’s response, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq declined to confirm receipt of the letter, but referred to Ban’s statement on the subject last Thursday.
In that statement, the Secretary-General had expressed concern about the recent escalation of violence along the line of Control, deploring the loss of lives and the displacement of civilians on both sides.