Denied self-determination and fair elections, the people of Kashmir have endured decades of misery. Addressing their political grievances, even in small measure, would bring relief to the Valley and beyond

Armed security personnel conduct a search operation in Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday. Pic/PTI

It’s delusional to solely blame a Muslim cleric for radicalising a cabal of Kashmiri doctors, including the one who undertook the suicide bombing at Delhi’s Red Fort a fortnight ago. As sleuths seek to unravel the network of which they were a part, it will do Delhi good to recognise that the roots of radicalisation in Kashmir lie in history, marked by repeated betrayals of its people.

This saga of betrayals has three distinct phases. The first of these began soon after Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India, with the promise of granting self-determination to its people denied. The memory of that promise couldn’t be erased as Delhi stole elections for the leader looked upon as its man there. Such a leader was perceived to be National Conference’s Sheikh Abdullah, who won for his party all 75 seats there in 1951. Only two of the seats were contested, with the nomination papers of all others in the remaining 73 rejected.

Abdullah’s occasional public avowals regarding self-determination prompted a nervous Delhi to arrest him and anoint Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed as his successor. Under his leadership, in the 1957 Assembly election, the........

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