Categories: Pak India Crisis 2019

Voicing ‘deep concern’, UN chief renews mediation offer as Indo-Pak tensions spike

Published by Geo.tv on Thursday Feb 28 2019
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gestures during an interview with
Reuters in Lisbon, Portugal, November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/Files

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed his offer of good offices to de-escalate the tensions between India and Pakistan, reiterating his “deep concern” as hostilities between escalated Wednesday.

“His good offices remain available should both sides agree,” the UN chief’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said in response to a question at the regular noon briefing at the United Nations’s headquarters in New York.

The secretary-general has spoken to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi this morning, the spokesperson said, and that he was also in contact with India at various levels.

“The Secretary-General is following with deep concern the current situation between India and Pakistan,” Dujarric said in the wake of reports that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had shot down two Indian aircraft and captured two pilots.

“He (UN chief) appeals to both sides to urgently take steps to lower tensions through meaningful mutual engagement and meet their responsibilities to maintain peace and stability in the region,” the spokesperson added.

His statement follows Prime Minister Imran Khan called for “better sense to prevail” and renewed his offer for dialogue with India.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, continued her contacts with the secretary-general’s office and other UN officials as well as key diplomats here, stressing the need for the de-escalation of tensions between the two countries and the resolution of outstanding problems through dialogue.

strafasia

Recent Posts

Is the Trump–Modi Bromance Over for Good?

Once hailed as a “natural alliance” between two of the world’s largest democracies, the US-India…

4 hours ago

Navigating the World Stage: Pakistan’s Evolving Diplomatic Stratagem

Over the last year, Pakistan has shifted its diplomatic strategy in response to the evolving…

1 day ago

Water Wars, The Next Global Conflict over Scarce Resources

The water as one of the main components of the human life, economic growth and…

2 days ago

The Uncertain Future of Pak-Afghan Truce

For nearly two weeks, the two neighbouring nations, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have seen a sharp…

6 days ago

India’s Rhetorical Militarism and Pakistan’s Imperatives for Stability

South Asia was taken once again towards the brink of a very dangerous precipice in…

1 week ago

Food Insecurity and the Fragility of Global Supply Chains

The world systems are in cracking food with gruesome human implications. Nevertheless, the last ten…

1 week ago