Can Kashmiris emulate farmers' agitation for restoration of special status?

As resisting the idea of a unitary state is dubbed 'anti-national' these days, peaceful protests in Kashmir will have to go the extra mile to emphasise they are not against India's unity and integrity

Former chief minister and Peoples' Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti has said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) may have to follow the example of the ongoing farmers' agitation to restore the state's special status. So far the government's heavy-handed measures have left no political space for such an agitation. But perhaps election to the local bodies and District Development Councils, as well as the restoration of 4G internet services, have emboldened Kashmiri leaders.

However, a non-violent movement for the restoration of the special status of J&K would be complicated by divisions on the issue itself. Those with