NEW DELHI -- The Kashmir problem defies solution. Three recent developments have even compounded the impasse.
Kashmir's State Assembly passed a resolution for autonomy, which calls for a status that Kashmir enjoyed before 1953, when the central government at New Delhi had a say only in matters pertaining to the state's defense, foreign affairs and communications. In the course of time, these powers were eroded, partly through legislation.
Days after the assembly resolution, New Delhi opened its line of communication with the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, a political conglomerate of organizations, mostly seeking an independent Kashmir.