Pak scribe egged on US spokesman for reaction on Kashmir

A Pakistani journalist on Tuesday sought a reaction from the United Nations on the present situation on Jammu and Kashmir while comparing the present state of affairs with that of South Sudan.

Posing a question to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric as to when would UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon take note of the situation in Kashmir when so many people are being killed, the journalist asked as to why was he brushing it aside as the situation over there is grim.

Dujarric replied, "I don't think anybody's brushing it all aside. What I told your colleagues, I hope to have a bit more language on that later."

The Pakistani journalist bombarded the spokesperson with another poser that the Secretary General, however, had a stakeout today on South Sudan.

"I think no one is denying that there were concerns about the situation in Kashmir. The fact that the Secretary General did not raise it, as he did not raise many other critical situations around the world, doesn't mean that he is brushing anything aside," Dujarric said.

The spokesperson further said that the Secretary-General is closely following the recent clashes in Kashmir.

"He regrets the reported loss of dozens of lives and the injuries to many others. He calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further violence and hopes that all concerns would be addressed through peaceful means," he added.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the clashes between the protesters and security forces in Kashmir has reached 30, as normal life remains paralysed in the valley due to curfew-like restrictions and separatists-sponsored strike in the wake of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani's killing in an encounter on July 8.