Amoment comes once in everybody’s life to choose between the spiritual and the temporal. For Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, that moment came during his address to the 74th UN General Assembly in September. Without mincing words, he squarely accused India of invading and occupying Jammu and Kashmir.

The Malaysian prime minister said: "Now, despite the UN resolution on Jammu and Kashmir, the country has been invaded and occupied.

"There may be reasons for this action but it is still wrong. The problem must be solved by peaceful means. India should work with Pakistan to resolve this problem. Ignoring the UN would lead to other forms of disregard for the UN and the rule of law."

Through his speech, Mahathir pulled the carpet from under India’s feet. He internationalized the Kashmir issue, which India has been at great pains to project before the world as always a “bilateral” dispute.

No wonder, Mahathir’s direct thrusts roiled India so seriously, that in a surge of patriotic zeal, India’s palm oil traders announced a boycott of Malaysian palm oil and demanded that Mahathir should take back his remarks in order to return to the status quo ante.

But India failed to achieve its purpose of bullying Malaysia into submission, since Mahathir is not a tin-pot prime minister of any banana republic with feet of clay. He looked the Indians straight in the eye. He did not wilt or waver and stood his ground firmly. Unapologetic, unrepentant and defiant, Mahathir demonstrated to his Indian listeners that people of principle do not eat their words, come hell or high water.

Mahathir must have been aware of the odds against the stand he had taken. Palm oil sales to India bring hefty revenues. If India stopped buying Malaysian palm oil - as it has since, that would mean tremendous financial loss to Malaysia. The battle was thus between conscience and monetary gain in which ultimately conscience won, as Mahathir refused to barter it away for what, after all, would be only “a mess of pottage.”

The Malaysian Prime Minister has firmly stood by his statement’s ground and has been unapologetic, telling journalists, "We speak... our minds and we don't retract and change." The famously outspoken 94-year-old went on to say, "Sometimes what we say is liked by some and disliked by others."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Mahathir in Russia earlier in September on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, when India raised the issue of the extradition of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and Kuala Lumpur discussed the issue of Kashmir.

According to Malaysian media, Kashmir was the 'main topic' during the bilateral meeting between Mahathir Mohamad and Modi on September 5.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah told reporters later, "PM Modi took time to clarify the position of Jammu and Kashmir while Mahathir Mohamad explained Malaysia's stand that all parties should meet and adhere to United Nations resolutions.

Undoubtedly, Mahathir Mohamad’s emergence on the scene as an advocate of Kashmir’s cause has opened a new vista on the simmering issue, because for long, Pakistan had been perceived as its only champion. Now, it has Malaysia also on its side. And, whereas, some of the force of Pakistan’s appeal was diluted by the fact that it is a party to the dispute, Malaysia’s active interest in the lingering conflict has not only added new dimensions to it but also injected in it a new vigour, because Malaysia’s approach to the issue is absolutely unselfish, based entirely on the highest principles of justice and truth. Mahathir’s arguments do not suffer from the constraints faced by Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the threat of India stopping import of palm oil from Malaysia is going to be offset by Malaysia’s offer to buy buffalo meat from India, of which India has too much on its hands. (What is India’s policy on the slaughter of buffalos – gaoo mata – by the way?) Malaysia is also going to buy sugar from India as the Indian sugar market is currently in doldrums.
However, this spat between India and Malaysia has given a new force to the Kashmir issue because, all along, the common perception has been to treat it as a bilateral dispute between Pakistan and India. Now, Mahathir’s reference to the UN Resolution before the UNGA, has brought the issue back into full international limelight and called attention of the world community to the reign of terror India has unleashed in Jammu and Kashmir.

Malaysia’s championing their cause, should also give hope and heart to the people of Kashmir, who had only Pakistan on their side so far. Now, it is no longer a purely Pakistani problem. Mahathir has turned it into an international issue by invoking the UNSC resolutions for its solution. Because Malaysia has no personal axe to grind by championing the issue, Mahathir's words are likely to find receptive ears in the international community.