UN chief considering talks with India, Pakistan over Kashmir

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is considering holding conversations with India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue to help with the peace process.

"He will talk to different officials if it helps move the process along. That's something that he is looking into," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the Secretary-General during a press briefing.

The spokesperson was, however, unable to provide a timeline for any such talks.

"With any number of long-running situations, there is a lot of complex issues that need to be examined, and he will look into the issue, and certainly, he will try to see what can be done to improve the situation on the ground," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, in a strong-worded statement, India asserted that Pakistan continues to illegally occupy a part of their territory, referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, at the 34th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

In January, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi had said during an interview that Guterres has agreed to play the role of an "honest broker" to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan.