UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who has had contacts with the leadership in India and Pakistan, remains very concerned about any potential escalation between the two countries over Kashmir and appeals to both sides to deal with the issue through dialogue, his spokesperson said. Guterres met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit last month in Biarritz, France and has also spoken to Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, UN chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a daily press briefing here on Tuesday.

On Monday, Guterres also met with the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Maleeha Lodhi on her request over the Kashmir issue. His message to all of them has been the same, both publicly and privately, that he remains very concerned about any potential escalation between India and Pakistan over the situation. He appeals to both sides to deal with the issue through dialogue, Dujarric said.