Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin has complained that the Pakistan government is cold-shouldering the Kashmir issue, and has expressed the fear that if this attitude of indifference persists, the Kashmiris struggle for freedom might suffer. In an interview to the Nawa-i-Waqt Group on Saturday, Syed Salahuddin also observed that, except for the Group, the rest of the Pakistani media was ignoring the Kashmir cause. Syed Salahuddin also noted that serious damage had been done to the Kashmir cause by former President Pervez Musharraf who changed Pakistans position on it. Though he did not mention it, he must have had an eye on the recent Pak-India parleys, in which Pakistans Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had her first encounter with Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna after taking over, and at which no progress was made on the dispute because of Indian intransigence. There is little doubt that the backing by its new-found friend, the USA, which is insisting that this dialogue take place, has reinforced its intransigence. Syed Salahuddin was not pointing out anything new, but his views deserve reiteration for all those who have any belief in the sincerity of Indian intentions, or its readiness to give up the territory it has illegally occupied. It must not be ignored that India has shown how bad an international citizen it is by defying the UN resolutions on the subject. It refuses to allow the UN-supervised plebiscite to be held, which is the only known solution acceptable to all parties to the dispute. That solution only has the prospects of ensuring lasting peace in the subcontinent, eliminating tension and the possibility of future conflict between the two neighbours, which could spiral out of control, now that they are both nuclear-armed. Enduring peace in South Asia is a prerequisite to the development of the region and for it to play its rightful role in the comity of nations. The present government must pay attention to Syed Salahuddin and not come under any pressure to 'give and take on Kashmir. It should remember that the USA may want a settlement on Indian terms, but such a settlement will simply not last. Pakistan must propagate the Kashmir cause throughout the world, using its diplomats for this purpose. It may well be also a test of Pakistani diplomatic skill to apply the right pressure on India to make it fulfill its commitments to the world community, but it is a test that Pakistani governments must pass.