Sharif writes to P5 countries; meets Kerry, seeks US help in Kashmir issue

Ahead of his address to the UN General Assembly, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has written to the permanent members of the Security Council over the Kashmir issue, saying it is a "constant source of tension and instability" posing a threat to world peace.

Sharif has written to the Heads of Government/State of China, France, Russia, the UK and the US regarding "grave human rights violations" in Kashmir, Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday. "The letters emphasise the extremely negative implications of the dire situation in Kashmir – on regional as well as international peace and security," it stated.

Sharif also raised the Kashmir issue with US Secretary of State John Kerry, urging Washington to “play a role” in the resolution of the dispute. “PM Nawaz Sharif had two meetings...with US Secretary of State John Kerry & PM of New Zealand,” Pakistan’s envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi tweeted. “PM has urged the US to play a role in the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute and highlighted human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir,” she said.

Pakistan also accused India of misleading the world to cover up its “reign of terror” in Kashmir by a spate of “vitriolic” and “unsubstantiated” statements following the Uri attack. Sartaj Aziz, advisor to Pakistan PM on Foreign Affairs, said Pakistan rejects the accusations being levelled by senior officials in PM Modi’s government.