Advocacy Group Urges Diplomacy Between India, Pakistan To Prevent Nuclear War

India and Pakistan must come to the negotiating table and engage in diplomacy to curb the growing threat of nuclear conflict, the advocacy organization Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's (CND) General Secretary Kate Hudson said in a statement on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2019) India and Pakistan must come to the negotiating table and engage in diplomacy to curb the growing threat of nuclear conflict, the advocacy organization Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's (CND) General Secretary Kate Hudson said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Nuclear weapons, far from deterring war, make conflicts more dangerous than they would otherwise be. There is an urgent need for diplomacy in this precarious situation," Hudson said.

Hudson argued that the recently reported meeting of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan with his nuclear chiefs is a strong indication that the situation is dire.

Tensions between the two nuclear powers escalated dramatically on Wednesday as both countries said they had shot down each other's fighter jets over the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistan said it shot down two Indian fighter jets and captured a pilot, while India said it lost one plane and shot down a Pakistani jet.

Relations between the two countries have been steadily deteriorating since a deadly terrorist attack against the Indian army on February 14 in the Jammu and Kashmir state that killed 45 Indian officers. After the attack, India accused Pakistan of having a "direct hand" in the incident and blamed the neighboring nation for harboring and protecting terrorists.

Pakistan has rejected the allegations of its involvement in the attack and in return has accused India of being responsible for human rights violations taking place in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is a UK-based advocacy group that calls for unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom and advocates for international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulations, according to the organization's website.