The election to the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly will be crucial for defining the region’s political future.

The Union Territory government will have powers similar to a municipal authority, but a lot more than that is on the line.

The Indian government will have to take a considered view on doing more than statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

Despite a common political agenda, ground level competition prevents a united front of Kashmir’s regional parties.

The Jammu and Kashmir elections are being shaped by local governance issues, not by any big national agenda.

These are dark times not just for those who are living in an unprecedented lockdown, but also for those whose feel disenfranchised and demonised in the land of Gandhi and Nehru for their beliefs and faith in Indian democracy, as enshrined in the values of the Indian freedom movement.

EDITORIAL: These are worrying times, but we may still hope to pray for peace in the days to come before the ‘normalcy of violence returns’ when phones start ringing again.

Editor’s Note: Amit was in Srinagar from August 31 to September 4, almost 25 days after Delhi declared Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory, and there was total communication lockdown. In a context where Indian journalists were not really welcome due to the open bias displayed in several TV channels, it was a challenging and difficult assignment. Here are his notes from Srinagar.

With an adverse international media coverage on mass human rights violations, the UN security council taking up Kashmir for the first time in 70 years, and the big powers openly meddling, despite the posturing, the Indian government is clearly on the defensive.

The trauma of Kashmir in the larger context of the fight for democracy and human rights.