Pakistan's Foreign Minister wrote to the UN seeking his help to reduce tensions between India and Pak
Pakistan has sought the United Nation's urgent intervention to "defuse tensions" with India, its foreign office said today. The request from Islamabad, which is nervous about how India will respond, came after Pak-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed carried out one of the worst terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
More than 40 paramilitary soldiers were killed in the terror attack on February 14. The Central Reserve Police Force or CRPF personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in a suicide attack claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group, which released photos and a video of the suicide bomber after the incident.
The terror attack has resulted in further bilateral tensions with both New Delhi and Islamabad calling back their envoys.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, seeking his help to reduce the tensions between the two countries, Pakistan's foreign office said.
"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," Mr Qureshi wrote in the letter.
India has rejected any third party intervention in the Kashmir issue and has maintained that all outstanding matters in India-Pak ties should be resolved bilaterally.
In his letter, Mr Qureshi said attributing the attack to Pakistan even before investigations was absurd. He further alleged that for domestic political reasons, India deliberately ratcheted up its hostile rhetoric against Pakistan and created a tense environment.
He went on to claim that India has also hinted that it may completely 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," Mr Qureshi pleaded.
"You may also consider asking India to refrain from further escalating the situation and enter into dialogue with Pakistan," he wrote.
The Pakistani foreign minister requested that the letter should be circulated to all the members of the UN Security Council and General Assembly.
Pakistan has repeatedly asked the United Nations to intervene in Kashmir. Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had also sought the US' intervention, saying America was the "most relevant" party to get involved in Kashmir.
The US, however, has repeatedly made it clear to Pakistan that it is for India and Pakistan to discuss and decide on the pace and scope of their bilateral relationship.