PTI
United Nations, April 9
With Pakistan announcing that the bilateral peace process with India has been “suspended”, United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon said that India and Pakistan can seek UN’s “good offices” to resolve the conflict between both nations.
“Whenever there is a conflict, an issue, between member states, the secretary-general’s offer for good offices stands as a matter of principle. But, that has to be agreed on and asked for by both parties,” Ban’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
Dujarric was asked on Friday if the secretary-general will offer his good offices after peace talks between India and Pakistan were “interrupted” again.
Pakistan high commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, on April 7 said the Indo-Pak bilateral peace process stands “suspended” .
The “suspension” of talks could indicate that a team of NIA investigators from India may not be allowed to visit Pakistan to probe the terror attack on an air force base in Pathankot. A Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had recently concluded a visit to India for investigating the attack.
India countered Basit’s assertion that the visit by the Pakistani JIT was not on reciprocity.
Reacting to Basit’s remarks that the Indo-Pak peace process stands “suspended”, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup referred to the press conference of Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria, in which he had said, “I have stated this many times that both countries are in contact with each other and it has been reiterated from both sides that modalities are being worked out.”
