Srinagar, Sept. 28 -- THE speeches at UN General Assembly by India and Pakistan premiers is a major annual event that attracts a lot of media and public attention in South Asia. One major point of interest is the lingering India-Pakistan animosity, largely driven by their long-standing fight over Jammu and Kashmir. Since last year's revocation of Article 370, the speeches have assumed an even bigger news value. More so, in Kashmir, where people eagerly look forward to these speeches to see if there's anything in store for them.

So, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan delivered their speeches Kashmiris were all ears. This year, the ongoing stand-off in Ladakh between China and India lent a degree of ...