The United Nations Security Council members on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the current situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) when the 15-member body met in an urgent session on the occasion of one-year anniversary of India’s “illegal” action to end the special status of the disputed state, according to a press release issued by the Chinese Mission.

The meeting, which was requested by Pakistan with the support of China, discussed the situation in Kashmir, and listened to the briefings from the United Nations Secretariat on the current situation and the work of United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, it said.

The closed-door meeting was presided over by Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani of Indonesia, which holds the Council’s presidency for the month of August.

The Security Council members expressed the hope that relevant parties would exercise “restraint and properly resolve relevant issues through dialogue to jointly maintain regional peace and stability,” the press release said.

Reaffirming China’s principled position on Kashmir at the meeting, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said last August, India “unilaterally” changed the status quo of Kashmir through constitutional amendments, stoking tensions in the region.

A year later, he said, there was no fundamental improvement but a risk of further escalation in the situation of Kashmir. China was seriously concerned about the current situation in Kashmir and the relevant military actions.

“We oppose unilateral actions that will complicate the situation,” the Chinese envoy said. “We call on relevant parties to exercise restraint and act prudently. In particular, they should refrain from taking actions that will escalate tensions.”

Ambassador Zhang Jun underlined that the Kashmir issue was a dispute left from the past and should be peacefully and properly addressed in accordance with the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreement. “It is the responsibility of the Security Council to help ease the tensions and properly resolve relevant issues. The international community remains highly concerned on the Kashmir situation, with expectation that the Security Council should perform its own duties.”

The Chinese envoy pointed out that India and Pakistan were both China’s friendly neighbours and big developing countries at a critical stage of development.

China, he said, was committed to growing friendly relations with both the countries and called on the two countries to focus on national development, set store by peace and stability in South Asia, properly handle historical grievances, abandon the zero sum thinking, avoid unilateral actions, resolve disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation, and jointly uphold peace and stability of the region.–APP