The relationship between Delhi and J&K continues to suffer from a significant trust and credibility deficit. While the Indian state must take the lead in rebuilding trust, other institutions—political parties, civil society, the media, and chambers of commerce and industry—must also act as catalysts for peace and development. The J&K elections in 2024 kickstarted discussions on issues of identity, dignity, and development, but these were short-circuited due to a lack of political will. A renewed social contract between Delhi and J&K is essential for long-term stability.

The existing arrangement is perceived as asymmetrical, where some groups and citizens are seen as more influential than others. There is a danger that politics, both as an institution and as a master activity, may lose its way if the political grid is not resurrected. Some of the key issues significant for normalising politics in J&K are discussed below.

Prominence of the Political Grid

Restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is central to rebuilding trust and credibility in Union–J&K relations. The Union government has reiterated its commitment to restoring statehood on several occasions, and the newly elected Assembly has passed a resolution to that effect. In a separate note attached to the judgment on Article 370, Justice Sanjay Hegde expressed the view that the “demotion of the state to a Union Territory was unconstitutional and should be summarily reversed.”

To be realistic, in an era of excessive centralisation and a neoliberal economy marked by capital scarcity, even complete statehood will not, by itself, resolve all the problems confronting J&K. Noted economist Haseeb Drabu opines that “even if statehood is restored, manna is not going to fall from heaven. The actors will change, but actions will remain the same.”

Nevertheless, statehood would provide greater political space to parties, political leaders, and local governance institutions, ensuring deeper participation and accountability in the democratic process. Kashmiris have already sent a strong signal in Pahalgam that terrorism is no longer acceptable, and there is no reason for Jammu and Kashmir to remain what sociologists describe as a “limited-access society,” where power is concentrated and exercised through elite bargains.

The subordinate governance structure has given rise to a “strange invisible baradari system,” fostering........

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