China asks Pakistan, India to exercise restraint

BEIJING:  China on Tuesday urged both  Pakistan and India to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue to de-escalate the  tension and uphold peace in the region.Chinese Foreign Office Spokesman Hua Chunying has said that India and Pakistan should move toward negotiation for the sake of conflict resolution amid escalating tensions over the Pulwama attack.The Chinese foreign ministry  said South Asia has been a stable region, which both India and Pakistan should seek to uphold.The already sour relations between India and Pakistan have worsened over the past week as New Delhi piled blame on Islamabad for the Pulwama attack. Pakistan's leadership has strongly refuted the allegations.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan  has offered to investigate the Pulwama attack and act if India shares "actionable intelligence with Pakistan".Some 44 Indian paramilitary personnel were killed last week when an explosives-packed van rammed a convoy transporting 2,500 security forces in Pulwama.