UN Chief Advises India & Pakistan To Resolve Kashmir Issue Bilaterally

Secretary-General of United Nations Antonio Guterres has reaffirmed the world body’s stand again saying that India and Pakistan should resolve the Kashmir issue through bilateral dialogue. Guterres will engage whenever he can with the two nations on the issue, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said at the daily press briefing in New York located UN headquarters on Thursday, October 24.The Secretary-General has discussed the issue related to Kashmir with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, with the Prime Minister of India, during the General Assembly and before, he said.  Replying to a query on the situation in Kashmir, Dujarric said the UN chief has called and will continue to call for “the situation to be resolved through dialogue and that any solution be rooted in the respect for human rights of the people who live in Kashmir. So, that continues to be his position”. The UN chief earlier had said that dialogue between India and Pakistan is an “absolute essential element” for resolving the Kashmir issue and his good offices are available, if both sides ask for it while calling for the full respect of human rights. India has always maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is its integral part and ruled out any third party mediation, including either by the UN or the US, saying it is a bilateral issue with Pakistan. The Secretary General has also repeatedly asserted that his good offices are available only if both sides ask for it. India withdrew the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two Union Territories. Several security restrictions were imposed in Kashmir as well as Jammu following the decision. Two Union Territories -Jammu & Kashmir with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without an assembly -will come into force from October 31 as per the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act approved by Indian Parliament on August 5, 2019. Government has appointed Lieutenant Governors for the two UTs. Meanwhile,  China , stated to be the Islamabad’s most  trusted ally, also announced that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between the two neighbouring  countries before  Chinese  President  Xi Jinping  arrived in India  for informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra  Modi  .