United Nations says no to Pakistan's appeal for intervention on J&K issue
United Nations: UN chief Antonio Guterres has recalled the Simla Agreement of 1972, a bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan that rejects third-party mediation in Kashmir after Islamabad asked him to play his "due role" following New Delhi's decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at the daily press briefing that the Secretary General has been following the situation in Jammu and Kashmir "with concern and makes an appeal for maximum restraint".
The Secretary-General also "recalls the 1972 Agreement on bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, also known as the Simla Agreement, which states that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
The emphasis by the UN Chief on the Simla Agreement, that states that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and does away with any third-party mediation, comes just a day after Pakistan's envoy to the UN Maleeha Lodhi met Guterres' Chef de Cabinet Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti asking the Secretary General to "play his due role" following India's decision on Monday to revoke Article 370.
Lodhi also met President of UN Security Council for the month of August Polish Ambassador Joanna Wronecka over Kashmir.
"No comments," Wronecka said at the Security Council stakeout at the UN headquarters Thursday, walking away as she was asked about the letter from Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to the Security Council on Kashmir.
It needs to be noted here that the Secretary General did not offer his good offices nor did he make any offer to mediate between India and Pakistan on Kashmir. Instead he referred to the Simla Agreement, which is a bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan and rejects any third-party mediation in the issue.
Guterres also called "on all parties to refrain from taking steps" that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir, comments that come in the wake of Pakistan's decision to downgrade diplomatic relations with India and suspend bilateral trade.
Pakistan also announced that it will not be sending its High Commissioner-designate to India. Pakistan's new High Commissioner Moin-ul-Haq was expected to leave for India this month to take up his responsibilities.
Dujarric said the "position of the United Nations on this region is governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolutions."
When asked if the Secretary General plans to bring the Kashmir issue to the Security Council, Dujarric replied, "I'm not aware of any plans to brief", adding that the letter from the Pakistani Foreign Minister was circulated to the Security Council at their request.
"There've been contacts from the Secretariat both with Indian authorities and the Pakistani authorities," he said, adding that contacts have been made between the UN Secretariat and the Permanent Missions of India and Pakistan.
When asked to be more specific on the position of the United Nations, Dujarric said "I'm not going to go into any more specifics."
On whether the Secretary General thinks that there is a need to monitor the situation in Kashmir closely through a Special Envoy, Dujarric said: "The Secretary-General is following the situation very closely. The Secretariat is following the situation very closely, but I have nothing to announce or to hint at towards the issue of a Special Envoy.
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
