One could hardly have had a more potent example of the power of the Muslim vote: The Queen, the Foreign Secretary, and the Prime Minister of the most populous country in the Commonwealth as the cast of a diplomatic row.

 The seeds of the problems which bedevilled the royal tour of Indian lay 5,000 miles away in the marginal constituencies of the United Kingdom.

 To put in its simplest form, Robin Cook's reported offer to mediate in the Kashmir dispute between Indian and Pakistan would have pleased Pakistanis, and a large section of the British Muslim electorate. The Pakistanis want to internationalize  the issue, the Indians want to keep it bilateral. There may well, of course, be moral reasons why the Government want to get involved in Kashmir. There is certainly a very practical reason for paying lip service to doing so.

 Historically, Labour has claimed around 90% of the Asian vote. But it can no longer take that for granted, and the proportion has declined over the last decade.

 The Pakistani electorate is concentrated mostly in the Midlands and the North-west where there were a large cluster of marginal seats before the election. Mr. Cook should know the psephological details of this well. Two years ago, as shadow foreign secretary, he made a speech in Brent, north London, implying support for the Indian position on Kashmir. He was warned that in at least 30 marginal seats, the Pakistani vote could tip the balance against Labour.

 MPs in constituencies with large Muslim populations have championed causes like Kashmiri independence. However, this has not saved them all from falling victim to Muslim activists flexing their muscle. ...                                                       (Courtesy: The Independent, London)