U.N. Chief Urges Restraint after Kashmir Clashes

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged India and Pakistan to show restraint following clashes in the disputed region of Kashmir that have caused deaths on both sides.

Ban said an upcoming meeting of security chiefs on August 23-24 could help bolster dialogue between the two countries, which have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.

A woman was killed and eight others wounded on Sunday in the latest cross-border shelling by India in Kashmir, Pakistani officials said.

Six civilians also died over the weekend in Indian Kashmir after firing and shelling by Pakistani troops from across the border, according to Indian police.

Ban expressed "serious concern about the recent escalation of violence" and urged both India and Pakistan "to exercise maximum restraint and take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians."

India and Pakistan often accuse each other of violating a 2003 ceasefire agreement in Kashmir.

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in full by both, since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947.