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U.N. chief concerned at violence on disputed Kashmir border


    UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday voiced alarm at the latest upsurge in violence along the disputed border of India and Pakistan in Kashmir and urged restraint on the part of both governments.

    Officials said on Sunday that Indian and Pakistani troops intensified firing along their disputed frontier in Kashmir, killing at least eight people and wounding 14.

    "(Ban) expresses serious concern about the recent escalation of violence along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan, which reportedly resulted in a number of casualties on both sides, including civilians," the U.N. press office said in a statement.

    It added that Ban "calls upon the governments of India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint and take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians."

    The statement noted that the U.N. chief urged India and Pakistan to resolve their differences through dialogue.

    Frontier clashes have intensified in recent months and the latest violence will put more strain on ties between the nuclear-armed rivals, who are scheduled to hold talks between top security officials on Aug. 23-24 in New Delhi.

    The U.N. statement said Ban welcomed that scheduled meeting.

    India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence in 1947, two over Kashmir, and relations chilled again after the election of the right-winger Narendra Modi as Indian prime minister last year.

    (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Andrea Ricci)