United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed “serious concern” about the latest upsurge in violence along the disputed border between India and Pakistan, urging the two sides to show restraint.

“The Secretary General calls upon the governments of India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint and take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians,” read a statement issued by a UN spokesperson on Tuesday.

Ban urged both countries to continue to address their differences through dialogue, the statement further said, adding that the UN chief has conveyed his condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives.

Ban expressed hope that an upcoming meeting of the two countries’ National Security Advisors, to be held on August  23-24, could help bolster dialogue between the two countries and would lead to "positive outcomes".

The latest deadly violence across the so-called Line of Control claimed the lives of two civilians and injured eight others on Sunday in a cross-border shelling by India. The Indian offensive came after Pakistani troops reportedly fired and shelled at Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing six civilians and wounding over a dozen others.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint since the subcontinent was divided by Britain in 1947. India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire in 2003. However, the two sides often accuse each other of violating the accord.

Thousands of people have been killed in the unrest in the restive region over the past two decades.