France, April 14 -- The United States has urged India and Pakistan to ease tensions following a newspaper report that accused Delhi of ordering 20 killings in Pakistan, which the Indian government rejected as "propaganda".

Washington said it preferred a hands-off policy, but that it hoped India and Pakistanwould try and resolve the latest row without further trouble.

"We're not going to get in the middle of this situation [but] we encourage both sides to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.

The UK's Guardian newspaper, quoting unnamed operatives, recently reported that officials in Delhi had ordered the murder of nearly 20 individuals in Pakistan since...