Dubai, April 16 -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) played a role in bringing down the tension between India and Pakistan and getting their bilateral ties back to a "healthy functional relationship", Emirati ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba said.

"They might not sort of become best friends but at least we want to get it to a level where it's functional, where it's operational, where they are speaking to each other," Mr al-Otaiba said during a virtual discussion with Stanford University's Hoover Institution on Wednesday.

India and Pakistan said on February 25 that they have agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and other sectors.

Mr Al-Otaiba himself brought up the...