Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a series of letters has consistently updated the UN senior officials about the situation of the Kashmir region.
In his latest letter dated 12 December 2019, Qureshi apprised the UN Security Council and Secretary-General that Indian actions that continue to escalate tensions in an already tense environment in South Asia.
He said to prevent possible escalation Pakistan has proposed strengthening of United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)’s presence in the region.
The Minister said a reinforced UNMOGIP could serve as an important tool in the hands of the Security Council for the maintenance of peace and security in the region.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the Security Council must play a proactive role in the peaceful resolution of this Kashmir dispute.
In the letter, he said that India has cut the fence on the Line of Control (the defector border between India and Pakistan in Kashmir region) from five points which is a matter of grave concern for Pakistan. He also warned India of any misadventure in the area.
India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947 when British colonialists left the subcontinent. Since partition, the two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir, in addition to a three-week-long Kargil skirmish in 1999.
Both countries accuse each other of targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire on the border in Kashmir.
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