In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reminded the world community that it was their responsibility to resolve the long standing Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. The Prime Minister told the world body that the United Nations Security Council had adopted resolutions to hold a plebiscite in Jammu & Kashmir to enable the people to exercise their right to self determination to decide about their political future. But more than six decades had passed and the people of Jammu & Kashmir are still waiting for the fulfillment of that promise by the United Nations. The Prime Minister drew the attention of the world body to the fact that that "many generations of Kashmiris have lived their lives under Indian occupation accompanied by violence and abuse of fundamental rights of the people."

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when asked about the Kashmir dispute and Pakistan's demand at the world body merely remarked that the issue could be settled through bilateral talks between the two countries. The contradiction between Indian prime minister's words and deeds was obvious from the fact that only recently India had cancelled the secretary level talks with Pakistan on the lame excuse that the Pakistan's high commissioner had a meeting with a delegation of Kashmiris in New Delhi. The fact is that India is not sincere in finding a solution of the Kashmir dispute but has been dilly dallying the matter to gain time to consolidate its military occupation of the state by suppressing the Kashmiri Muslims who never wanted their land to be part of India.

Mr. Narendra Modi, who has assumed the prime ministership of his country only this year, had earned notoriety in the past for his anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan views. His name was badly soiled in the anti-Muslim pogroms in his native state of Gujarat, so much so that he had been refused visa by the United States to visit that country.

It seems that he has not changed much even after becoming prime minister of India. Ever since he has assumed office, the Indian forces have been flexing muscles in occupied Kashmir. There has been a significant increase in suppression of the people in occupied Kashmir, and during the last one month there have been many violations of the Line of Control and the Working Boundary by the Indian troops. After Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech at the UN General Assembly there has been a further increase in those violations. More than a dozen Kashmiris and Pakistanis have been killed or injured in the firing by Indian troops across the line.

The Indian leaders make no secret of their hostility to Pakistan and its demand for a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute. One minister has gone to the extent of openly telling Pakistan that now a hard-line government is in power in New Delhi and Pakistan should not mess with it.

It is nothing short of an open ultimatum to Pakistan that India could resort to bigger mischief if Pakistan continues to insist on demanding Kashmiris' right to self-determination. This is a challenge not only to Pakistan and the Kashmiris but to all the peace loving nations of the world.

Pakistan should now take up the matter not only in the UN but also in the OIC to take along the Muslim Ummah as well as the rest of the world to get the people of Indian occupied Kashmir their right to self determination.

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