As we approach 2026, Jammu and Kashmir stands at a crossroads that demands honest introspection from both New Delhi and the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu. The transition to Union Territory status in 2019 was projected as a necessary intervention by the present union government almost like a corrective measure to address decades of perceived dysfunction. But six years on, it is time to ask a more fundamental question: Can governance by oversight ever substitute for governance by ownership?

When New Delhi treats J&K as a “project”, a problem to be solved through central schemes, security frameworks, and administrative decree, it inadvertently creates a dependency architecture that undermines the very outcomes it seeks. Projects have timelines, deliverables, and external managers. Partnerships, by contrast, are built on mutual stakes, shared risks, and collaborative ownership.

The current dispensation has delivered visible infrastructure: tunnels that compress geography, highways that promise connectivity, and airports that signal normalcy. These are not insignificant achievements. The Atal Tunnel, the Delhi-Katra expressway progress, and the expansion of air travel have materially altered the physical landscape of the region.

Yet infrastructure alone does not build trust. Roads can carry goods; they cannot carry grievances. Tunnels can shorten distances; they cannot bridge the psychological gap between a population that feels administered and an administration that feels misunderstood.

The “project” approach manifests in other concerning ways. When central ministries design schemes with insufficient local consultation, when bureaucratic postings treat J&K as a hardship tenure rather than a developmental opportunity, when security considerations override economic rationality in daily decisions these are symptoms of a relationship that remains transactional rather than transformational.

The Case for Calibrated Partnership

What would a genuine partnership look like? It would begin with acknowledging an uncomfortable truth: the aspirations of the people of J&K are not fundamentally different from those of citizens in Maharashtra or Tamil Nadu. They want economic opportunity, administrative efficiency, educational excellence, and the dignity of being heard. The difference lies in the historical context and the trust deficit that colours every interaction between the state and its citizens.

A calibrated approach recognises that trust cannot be........

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