United Nations: Days after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ruled out any mediation effort between India and Pakistan, Islamabad's top envoy to the world body raised the Kashmir issue during a UN Security Council debate on the Middle East.   

As usual there were no takers for Maleeha Lodhi, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, during the debate on the current volatile situation in the Middle East. "Pakistan will continue to support the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, as indeed, people living under foreign occupation elsewhere as for example in Kashmir," Lodhi said while participating in the Security Council discussion on Thursday.   

"This esteemed body must live up to its responsibilities and ensure the implementation of its own resolutions on Palestine and other longstanding disputes such as Kashmir so that people of the world do not lose entire faith in the United Nations," she said.   

Earlier this week, the UN had ruled out any mediation effort on Kashmir and encouraged India and Pakistan to address all their outstanding issues through dialogue. 

Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained recently following a series of attacks by Pakistan-based terror groups and incidents of ceasefire violations, causing casualties on both sides.   

India is opposed to any third-party intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue while Pakistan has continuously sought mediation to sort out the differences. PTI