You can support quality journalism by turning off ad blocker or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to The Hindu.M.K. Printable version | Sep 2, 2020 6:05:44 AM | https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/in-kashmir-still-a-long-way-to-go/article32499408.ece This must be recognised even as claims are being made that home-grown militancy in J&K has been extinguished. Our plans enhance your reading experience. Prominent National Conference leaders, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, have been released from custody, but continue to face restrictions, with regard to any kind of political activity. Senior leaders like former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, still remain in custody. Anyone who deigns to read the debates in the United Nations on Kashmir during the 1950s and 1960s, and even subsequently, will understand the complexity of the Kashmir problem. The reasons are too well known to merit repetition. A major difference between Northern Ireland and Kashmir, however, was that unlike in the case of the former, Kashmir had two hostile neighbours, one of whom was intent on instigating violence and providing a suitable ‘rear’ for terrorist elements.It is a moot point whether a long-standing problem of this nature can be solved merely by rejecting notions of a ‘separate Kashmiri identity’, disowning all talk of Kashmiri ‘The Kashmir problem cannot again be detached from the extant situation prevailing in parts of the world, where many existing systems are undergoing changes. As a subscriber, you are not only a beneficiary of our work but also its enabler.We also reiterate here the promise that our team of reporters, copy editors, fact-checkers, designers, and photographers will deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda. This is in reference to the news item carried by this newspaper that RBA finds no place for reservation in SET exams to be conducted by University of Kashmir. This crucial aspect of current history cannot be voided.Across the globe, for instance, radical Islamist ideas appear to be gaining ground, and the impact is being felt on youth in our region as well. We cannot afford any more ‘evolutionary adaptations to an already dangerous social and complex environment’.You have reached your limit for free articles this month.Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day. Together with the higher cost of manufacture in J&K, as also the need to import raw material from elsewhere, concerns abound about their ability to compete with ‘outsiders’.India has had problems with Kashmir ever since 1947. The only silver lining has been the elimination of some top leaders of terrorist outfits, such as the Hizbul Mujahideen.The incarceration of several senior political leaders for several months under various provisions of the law, including the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, has, meanwhile, undermined faith in the Centre’s commitment to an early return to orderly political discourse. Kashmir - Kashmir - The Kashmir problem: As long as the territory’s existence was guaranteed by the United Kingdom, the weaknesses in its structure and along its peripheries were not of great consequence, but they became apparent after the British withdrawal from South Asia in 1947. Jammu and Kashmir (Dogri: जम्मू और कश्मीर; Urdu: مقبوضہ کشمیر) was the northernmost imposed self-declared state of India and Disputed Territory of Pakistan.It was situated mostly in the Western Himalayan mountains. No longer can it be solely attributed to the fallout of the Afghan Jihad of the 1980s, for there are other forces such as the Islamic State in existence today, that are a force to reckon with. ‘Strong arm populism’ has its limits. At the time, much of India seemed to accept this line of argument, though there were quite a few who objected to the stealth and secrecy that preceded the announcement of abrogation of two key Articles of the Indian Constitution, and the stringent security measures that were enforced across J&K, immediately prior to and subsequently.The laundry list of achievements and missed targets post-August 2019, however, suggest that the intended objectives of bringing Kashmir into the national mainstream, reducing levels of violence within the Union Territory, and expansion of jobs and economic opportunities, are still to happen. As former Supreme Court of India judge, Justice Madan Lokur, observed in a recent newspaper article, that even a form of house arrest is a matter of grave human rights concern.Among other major concerns has been the difficulty faced by the populace in accessing information, following the snapping of high speed Internet connections. It would be wise for leaders in Delhi to be careful not to view immediate dividends as representing a new dawn, and should instead pause to try and ascertain what lies beyond the horizon.