Alwaght- UN Secretary-General has called on nuclear rivals India and Pakistan to find a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue through dialogue.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric also rejected claims that the UN chief was reluctant to address the Kashmir issue or brushes it off.
"I don't brush it off...I don't think the Secretary General has been reluctant...He would underscore the need for the parties to find a peaceful solution through engagement and dialogue," Dujarric told reporters at a briefing here.
He made the remarks while responding to questions posed by Pakistani journalists on the Secretary-General's response to the tense situation in Kashmir and why has he been "reluctant" to address the issue.
"I think I would refer you to what we have already said on the situation in Kashmir and I have nothing further to add to it," Dujarric said. The spokesperson stressed that the UN chief was following the situation in Kashmir.
The comments by the UN chief came after Indian police imposed curfew-like curbs on movement of people across several parts of Indian-administered Kashmir, a day after clashes with protesters during a by-election killed eight people and injured more than 200. Separatist factions in Kashmir have called for a two-day strike in protest on Monday.
Their calls to boycott the poll in Srinagar, and the ensuing violence, resulted in voter turnout of a mere seven percent on Sunday and forced 70 polling stations to shut down.
During clashes in Budgam district, police initially used tear gas against protesters who were throwing stones, but then opened fire, killing seven people.
Among the dead was 22-year-old Omar Farooq, who was hit by two two bullets - one in the chest and another in the ribs - according to eye witnesses.
At his funeral on Monday, gathered crowds expressed their anger against the government.
In another Kashmir-related development on Monday, the Indian government informed the Supreme Court that authorities would introduce new rubber-based bullets for security forces to deal with violent protests in the region.
The partition of British colonial India into the dominion states of India and Pakistan in 1947 led to the emergence of the Kashmir conflict. Both countries claim the disputed territory in its entirety with most people in India's portion favoring independence or a merger with Pakistan. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir, including the Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1947 and 1965, as well as the 1999 Kargil War.
