Washington:
Pakistan is calling for President Barack Obama to intervene in its longstanding dispute with India over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, the cause of two of the three wars the nuclear-armed rivals have fought.
Pakistan's foreign minister on Friday made an unusually blunt appeal for Obama to insert himself in the dispute when he visits India next month.
He said a recent crackdown against suspected Muslim militants in Kashmir threatens peace and stability in South Asia.
The Kashmir dispute is the main source of friction between India and Pakistan.
India vehemently opposes any outside intervention in the Kashmir dispute and the United States has traditionally stayed above the fray.