India's reluctance to support increased autonomy for the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir is understandable. Indian leaders fear that giving more power to local leaders would set a precedent that could lead to the unraveling of the whole country. That is a possibility, but any sprawling state that is home to a huge portion of the world's population is susceptible to such fissures -- look at Russia, Indonesia or Yugoslavia. And that last example is particularly appropriate: The national government's failure to accommodate local political demands will guarantee that Kashmir explodes and could lead to the outcome that Indian leaders fear most.
Kashmir occupies a special place in South Asia. Parts of the territory are claimed by India, Pakistan and China. New Delhi and Islamabad have twice gone to war over the state. Even after the two governments exploded nuclear devices in 1998, they sparred a year later over the territory.
The source of the trouble is Kashmir's predominantly Muslim population. Pakistan, a Muslim nation, believes that Kashmiris belong with their coreligionists. Indians claim that the Muslim-dominated state is critical to their country's multiethnic identity. They argue that if the central government yielded to Kashmir's demands for more power, other states would do the same and India could disintegrate. Others claim that demands for autonomy are merely the first step in the march toward independence. Nationalist Hindus, an increasingly vocal -- if not more powerful -- group in Indian politics, are loath to see Muslims with more power, no matter what the ultimate objective.