Islamabad: Pakistan has sought the UN’s urgent intervention to ‘defuse tensions’ with India, the Foreign Office said Tuesday, following one of the worst terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in which over 40 Indian soldiers were killed. The suicide attack has been claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group.
The attack has heightened bilateral tensions with both New Delhi and Islamabad calling back their envoys.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi sent a letter Monday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, seeking his help to reduce the tensions between the two countries.
“It is with a sense of urgency that I draw your attention to the deteriorating security situation in our region resulting from the threat of use of force against Pakistan by India,” Qureshi wrote in the letter.
Qureshi, in his letter, said the Pulwama attack on Indian CRPF soldiers was ostensibly and even by Indian accounts carried out by a Kashmiri resident. He said attributing the attack to Pakistan even before investigations was absurd.
Qureshi wrote that India has also hinted that it may abandon the Indus Waters Treaty, asserting that it would be a grievous error. “It is imperative to take steps for de-escalation. The United Nations must step in to defuse tensions,” Qureshi wrote.
He said India must be asked to conduct an open and credible investigation in the terror attack. “You may also consider asking India to refrain from further escalating the situation and enter into dialogue with Pakistan and the Kashmiris to calm the situation down,” Qureshi further added.
The Foreign Minister requested that the letter should be circulated to members of the Security Council and General Assembly.
PTI