Ultimately, it is the human face of the tragedy of Srinagar and elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley that matters. Constitutional proprieties, Pakistan's perfidy, the Centre's bungles, Farooq's follies, the Hurriyat's ... machinations these are all roadblocks on the way to a solution for Kashmir. But the central issue today in the Valley is the loss of the people's faith in not only everyone else but even themselves.

The problem is compounded by the present national mood which wants quick results in Kashmir and is clearly impatient with talk about the bruised psyche of its people ... This is not exactly the best time to persuade the rest of the country about the need to nurse back to life a dying limb of the nation.

Yet, if Indian democracy is to be justifiably proud of its otherwise remarkable achievements, it cannot afford to ignore the failure to involve the people of the Valley in the national mainstream. Regardless of the fate of the present peace initiative, efforts must continue to remove this darkening stain, even if only on a corner of the national map, before it gets too late. (Source: The Indian Express, 19 June, 2000)