Doubt

India and Pakistan's bitter wrangle over Kashmir has lasted more than a month at Lake Success. Both have gone over & over the same ground, disagreed, referred the dispute back to the Security Council, postponed meetings; they suspended their debates after Gandhi's death, resumed private discussions. Last week, for the first time, the Security Council heard from a native of harried Kashmir, one who had come 8,000 miles to make his speech.

He was black-eyed, 6 ft. 4 in. Sheik Mohamed Abdullah, Moslem head of the Kashmir Emergency Administration. Politely removing his caracul cap to address the Council, Abdullah insisted in quiet tones that Kashmir's most urgent needs were peace and a democratic regime.

He was in no hurry for a plebiscite, especially one conducted (as Pakistan demands) by some "neutral" administration. In that land today, who could be neutral or impartial? Abdullah struck a note of grave doubt: "I say to you frankly that if you ask Almighty God to administer the State of Kashmir, I do not feel even He will act impartially."

Next day in Kashmir, fighting between pro-Pakistan tribesmen and Kashmiri defense forces broke out again after a lull. In 48 hours, nearly 2,000 were killed.

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