Islamabad/New Delhi (dpa) – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday warned of a "bloodbath" in Kashmir following a move by India last month to strip the Indian-administered part of the disputed region of its special autonomy.

In his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, Khan urged the United Nations and world powers to intervene to prevent a possible face-off between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

“When we have no other option we will fight and when a nuclear power decides to fight until the end, the consequences are far beyond the region, for the world,” Khan said.

Khan warned that the Indian measures would radicalize Muslim youth, and described Modi as "arrogant."

“Women, children, sick people are locked in like animals ... there will be a bloodbath when the curfew is lifted,” Khan said.

India stripped Muslim-majority Kashmir of its special autonomous status in early August and imposed restrictions on movement and communications. Thousands of troops were deployed and hundreds of political activists were detained.

The Indian clampdown has been lifted in most regions but is still in place in many areas of the Kashmir valley.

Khan's Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, had spoken earlier at the assembly, but did not mention the Kashmir conflict in his speech.

Tensions are running high between the South Asian rivals. Diplomatic relations have been downgraded, bilateral trade is suspended and cross-border transportation has been halted.