ISLAMABAD, Oct 12 (IANS): Pakistan has again approached the UN on the "deteriorating situation" along the Kashmir border, and called for an end to the Kashmir dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
Sartaj Aziz, adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on national security and foreign affairs, also accused India of "deliberate and unprovoked" violations of the 2003 ceasefire along the border.
Aziz told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Saturday that the situation on the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border was "deteriorating ... owing to deliberate and unprovoked violations of the ceasefire and cross-border firing by the Indian forces over the past weeks".
According to a Pakistan foreign office statement Sunday, Aziz underlined "the need to resolve the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council".
He "recalled the role and responsibility of the UN and the international community in that regard".
In his letter, Aziz said: "Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one of the long outstanding issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council, whose resolutions promising the holding of a plebiscite, under the auspices of the UN, for self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, remain valid though unimplemented to date."
He spoke of "Pakistan's readiness to work for resolution of this issue through negotiations".
He blamed India for failure to "engage in serious bilateral dialogue with Pakistan" and also for cancelling "unilaterally and without any plausible justification" the foreign secretary level talks in August.
The letter said the "persistent shelling and firing by Indian forces" had resulted in heavy civilian casualties in Pakistan.
Aziz appreciated Ban's Oct 9 statement on Kashmir in which he urged both sides to resolve tensions through dialogue.
"Your statement is timely and significant given the historic role and responsibility of the UN towards the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, where the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) continues to carry out its mandate related to the strict observance of the ceasefire.
He said UNMOGIP personnel "are being escorted to areas along the LoC, to observe first hand the ongoing ceasefire violations by the Indian side.
"Pakistan remains committed to peaceful resolution of all issues between India and Pakistan, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir", the letter said.
"Pakistan believes that the UN has an important role to play in promoting this objective, including through your good offices, which we have always welcomed, and the crucial role of the UNMOGIP on ground, which needs to be strengthened and facilitated under the current circumstances.
Aziz wanted his letter to be circulated as an official document of the Security Council.
