It is in this context that one can say that the big question about Manmohan Singh’s overtures is not whether Kashmiris will respond to these initiatives or not. In all probability, they will, if there is a concrete proposal (of course, with the exception of Geelani). The question, on the contrary is: will the Manmohan Singh government seriously pursue the idea of engaging Kashmiris and holding dialogue with the separatists?
The writer is a professor in the department of political science at the University of Jammu