UN chief calls for avoiding steps that escalate Pakistan-India tensions

NEW YORK (92 News) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for avoiding steps that will escalate tensions between Pakistan and India. This was stated by UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric when asked about New Delhi’s repeated violations of the line of control (LoC) during a virtual news briefing in New York. “The secretary-general’s basic message has always been for all and every party to avoid anything that would escalate tensions,” Stephane Dujarric said. The spokesman was questioned about Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's recent communications to the UN chief followed by a phone call apprising him of the deteriorating situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK), the series of serious LoC violations by India, and its other actions that have heightened tension between the two countries. The spokesman said that Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the secretary-general did have a conversation last week and a letter sent by him had already been circulated to the UN member states. Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s May 21 letter was part of Pakistan's consistent political and diplomatic efforts to keep the world body abreast of the current situation in the disputed region, especially New Delhi’s blatant attempt to turn the Muslim-majority in IoK) into a minority. He also rejected India’s allegations of so-called launch pads of infiltrators, and reiterated Pakistan's offer to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to visit the alleged sites to confirm the veracity of Indian claims. The real Indian motive behind blaming Pakistan, he said, was to create a pretext for a “false flag operation”, about which Islamabad has been forewarning the international community.