UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi on Tuesday briefed top UN leaders about the escalating tensions with India following last week’s Pulwama incident, saying the `dangerous’ situation called for stepping up efforts to settle the decades-old Kashmir dispute.

“I told them that the Pulwama incident reinforces the need to address the root cause of violence in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to find a peaceful solution to the longstanding dispute in accordance with several UN Security Council resolutions,” she said after separate meetings with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and the Security Council president Anatolio Ndong Mba of Equatorial Guinea.

“I reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to a constructive and meaningful dialogue with India over all issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, as stated by Prime Minister Imran Khan this morning, and explained that India’s no-talk posture is not only irresponsible, but it puts at stake, the peace and security of all of South Asia,” Ms Lodhi said.

Mr Guterres said he had offered his good offices to help defuse the current tensions, and would continue to do so in future. The Security Council president, Ms Lodhi said, also underscored his desire for peace and stability in the region.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2019