UN urges restraint amid growing Pak-India tensions

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations (UN) on Thursday urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed adversaries over Indian-occupied Kashmir and violations by the Indian forces at the Line of Control (LoC).

"The United Nations calls on the government of India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and encourage them to continue their efforts to resolve their differences peacefully and through dialogue," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

UN officials are following the increase in tensions in Kashmir "with great concern", said Dujarric, adding that UN military observers were in contact with both sides to try to obtain further information.

Earlier, two Pakistani soldiers embraced martyrdom when Indian forces resorted to unprovoked firing across the LoC this morning. The unprovoked firing in Kel and Lipa sectors began at 2:30 AM and continued till 8:00 AM, the ISPR said.

The unprovoked fire was painted as a surgical strike by senior Indian officials, in a move apparently aimed to satisfy the public.

"India conducted a surgical strike at the Line of Control on Thursday to prevent terrorists from attacking Indian soil," claimed India's DGMO Lt.Gen. Ranbir Singh at a press conference in New Delhi, according to Indian media.

Pakistan rebuffed the claims with the ISPR saying, "There has been no surgical strike by India, instead there had been cross border fire initiated and conducted by Indian forces which is an existential phenomenon".

Tensions have soared high between the two nuclear-armed neighbours over Occupied Kashmir and an attack on the Indian army's brigade headquarters in Uri, which left 18 Indian soldiers dead.