UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appealed to India and Pakistan to "exercise maximum restraint" to ensure that the situation does not further deteriorate, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, amid sudden spike in tensions between the two neighbours.

"The UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) observed and reported an increase in military activity at the Line of Control in recent days. The UN appeals to both sides to exercise maximum restraint to ensure that the situation does not further deteriorate," a statement issued by Dujarric said.

The UNMOGIP observes and reports on ceasefire violations along and across the Line of Control and the Working Boundary between the two neighbours in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as reports developments that could lead to ceasefire violations. UNMOGIP was established in January 1949.

India, however, maintains that UNMOGIP has "outlived its relevance" after the Simla Agreement signed between the two countries in 1972.

