G7 urges India-Pakistan dialogue

The Group of Seven (G7) major countries on Friday urged, opens new tab India and Pakistan to engage in direct dialogue as hostilities rise between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

World powers have raised the alarm over the latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry.

Among the G7 powers, the U.S. has held regular talks with both India and Pakistan in recent days and urged them to de-escalate.

"We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome," the G7 statement said.

In a statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.S., Britain and the European Union said they "strongly condemn" an April 22 Islamist militant attack in which 26 people were killed in India-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan, which denied the accusations and called for a neutral probe.