'No military solution': UN chief urges India, Pakistan to resolve Kashmir dispute

• UN chief Antonio Guterres says it’s absolutely essential for India and Pakistan to seriously discuss their problems
• "I do believe it is absolutely essential to have a de-escalation of the situation, namely in the Line of Control," says the UN chief
• Guterres says there is no military solution to the Kashmir dispute

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on nuclear-armed India and Pakistan to “come together and seriously discuss their problems” saying a military confrontation would be “a disaster of unmitigated proportions” on Thursday.

Replying to a question from state-run APP at his first press conference in 2021, the UN chief warned there was no “military solution” to the decades-old Kashmir dispute.

“It is clear when seeing Pakistan and India, any military confrontation between the two would be a disaster of unmitigated proportions for both countries and for the whole world,” he warned.

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“I do believe that is absolutely essential to have a de-escalation of the situation, namely in the Line of Control” in the disputed Kashmir region, Guterres said, adding, “I think it’s absolutely essential for the two countries to be able to come together and seriously discuss their problems.”

He added he thinks it’s essential that human rights are fully respected in all territories mentioned, referring to the question in which the correspondent highlighted the continuing rights abuses in Indian occupied Kashmir.

He said he stood by his statement of August 8, 2019, which called for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute based on UN resolutions and the UN Charter.

“Now, things have not moved in the right direction, our good offices are always available, and we will insist within it on finding peaceful solutions for problems that have no military solution.”