India Draws a Line over Kashmir

BANGALORE - A statement on Kashmir that the United Nations press office issued recently has ruffled feathers in India, forcing UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon's office to clarify that the offending words were not uttered by the secretary general himself.

Sent via e-mail on July 28 to a handful of reporters, the statement said that the "secretary general is concerned over the prevailing security situation there [in the Kashmir Valley] over the past month". It called on all parties to show restraint and while welcoming the recent resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan at the level of foreign ministers, the e-mail said the secretary general "encourages both sides to rekindle the spirit of the composite dialogue, which was initiated in 2004".