UNITED NATIONS: Uni­ted Nations Secretary Gen­e­r­al Ban Ki-moon stands ready to mediate peace talks between Pakistan and India amid heightening tensions, provided the two neighbours accept his good offices, a spo­kesman said on Wednesday.

“Good offices is a standing offer,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at the regular noon briefing in reply to a question from a journalist who referred to ongoing clashes in India-held Kashmir and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in which he also blamed the news media for inflaming the situation.

He underscored that the secretary general’s good offices worked only when both parties agreed to mediation. He said the UN chief had always encouraged direct talks between the two countries for the resolution of their outstanding issues.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2016