UN urges India, Pakistan to defuse tensions

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on India and Pakistan to take immediate steps to defuse tensions and offered to help broker a solution if both sides agree to UN mediation.“We are deeply concerned at the escalating tensions between the two countries,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric ."Guterres stresses the importance of both sides to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to de-escalation,” added Dujarric.Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had appealed to UN Secretary General to step in to defuse tensions, in a letter. “It is imperative to take steps for de-escalation. The United Nations must step in to defuse tensions,” said the letter sent on Monday and shared by the Foreign Office on TuesdayQureshi 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.”