Was a Single Protest Enough to Bring Statehood Back to Jammu and Kashmir?

by Mursaleen BashirA single protest cannot secure statehood; sustained pressure and democratic engagement are needed to keep Jammu and Kashmir’s demand alive. Statehood is not an ordinary political demand. It represents constitutional dignity, democratic representation, and the aspirations of millions of people in Jammu and Kashmir. Had all fifty of its MLAs come together on a single stage, standing shoulder to shoulder to press the statehood demand at that very moment, the visual alone would have carried weight. No one expects constitutional questions to be resolved overnight, and no democratic movement produces instant results.