UN Chief Asks India & Pakistan to Exercise Maximum Restraint - Reports
21:43 20.02.2019(updated 21:44 20.02.2019)
Pakistan's permanent mission to the UN approached the United Nations urging the world body to step in to defuse tensions between the nations arising as the fallout of the Pulwama terror attack on Indian soil. It also requested a meeting with the secretary-general.
New Delhi (Sputnik) – Expressing deep concern over increasing India-Pakistan tensions in the last few days, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday asked the two nations to act immediately to de-escalate hostilities in the aftermath of the Pulwama suicide bomb attack.
He reiterated that his "good offices" are available if both sides want and ask for it, reported NDTV.
"The secretary general stresses the importance for both sides to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to de-escalation, and his good offices are always available should both sides ask," the UN chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
A deadly bomb attack was carried out in Pulwama region of the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir, killing 40 Indian security forces for which India blamed Pakistan. The Jaish-e-Mohammed l(JeM) terror group, led by Azhar Masood and based out of Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Masood was arrested in India a couple of decades ago but later freed in a hostage-exchange in the Kandahar hijacking incident. Since then, Masood engineered the attack against the Indian Parliament in December 2001 and was instrumental in many other terror attacks on Indian soil.
In the aftermath of the recent attack both countries have recalled their envoys.
"Looking at the situation in general between India and Pakistan, we are deeply concerned at the increasing tensions between the two countries in the wake of the attack on Indian security personnel on February 14 in Pulwama," Dujrraic added.
© Sputnik
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