Pakistan backs Guterres peace push, says war is no answer

Pakistan has said that war is not the answer and that only peace, dialogue and diplomacy can bring stability to the region. Foreign Office spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks on Friday while referring to UN Secretary-General António Guterres' recent visit to the country.

Khan said Guterres had clearly stated during the visit that peace and stability in the region are important and that disputes must be resolved peacefully. He said this was in line with Pakistan's position on regional issues.

"This is what Pakistan has always advocated: war is not the solution; only peace, dialogue, and diplomacy will bring stability to our region," Khan told reporters. Guterres visited Pakistan from October 6 to 8 and met the country's top leadership. He also visited the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, or UNMOGIP.

Referring to that visit, Khan said, "His visit to UNMOGIP reflects his view that it must continue its operations." He also said, "There is a need to further strengthen the presence and role of UNMOGIP, alongside a just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people."

India has maintained that UNMOGIP, established in January 1949, has outlived its utility and become irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the subsequent establishment of the Line of Control. Following the 1971 India-Pakistan war and the ceasefire agreement of December 17 that year, UNMOGIP's tasks have been to observe, as far as possible, developments related to the strict observance of that ceasefire agreement and report them to the Secretary-General.

The remarks from Pakistan came after Guterres' visit, during which he met the country's leadership and visited UNMOGIP, with Islamabad reiterating its position that regional disputes should be settled through peaceful means.

With PTI Inputs

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