UN Chief Encouraged By India, Pakistan Agreeing To Cease-Fire In Kashmir - Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2021) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement reached between India and Pakistan to adhere to a ceasefire along the Line of Control in the Kashmir region, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday.

"The Secretary-General is encouraged by the joint statement issued by the militaries of India and Pakistan on their agreement to observing the ceasefire at the Line of Control in Kashmir and engaging through established mechanisms," Dujarric said in a press briefing.

The spokesman also said Guterres hoped the step will provide an opportunity for further dialogue between the two nations.

India and Pakistan have long been at odds over and fought three wars regarding Kashmir. Occasional clashes on the contact line have been a regular occurrence, but tensions escalated in August 2019, when the Indian government annulled the special autonomous status of its Jammu and Kashmir state and divided the region into two union territories under the government's direct control. India controls only the southern part of the Kashmir region, while Pakistan and China occupy the northwestern and northeastern parts, respectively.