Grave disservice would be done to the troubled people of Kashmir if premature assessments and pre-set political “agendas” were permitted to scuttle the welcome, if overdue, initiative for reviving the dialogue process. It would be a national duty (surely nobody will object to that terminology) for all concerned to give the just appointed Special Representative a fair chance to effect a breakthrough.

A petty point may be scored by the Congress in claiming that the move is evidence of the failure of the “muscular” policy adopted by the present government ~ its own attempts at resolution-via-dialogue yielded little ~ but it creates needless pessimism.

So does a BJP leader from the state arrogating unto himself the authority to determine to whom Dineshwar Sharma will talk, or not talk. Local political parties have generally welcomed the move, a reaction from the Hurriyat conference is awaited for it too must move forward, and the real stakeholders ~ the common folk ~ will respond through actions not words. It would, therefore, be advisable for the top leaders of all major political parties to advise their underlings to shun customary rhetoric and “give peace a chance”.

Sure there is scope for skepticism. Over a dozen “initiatives” have been made by successive governments through past decades, the absence of results is palpable. And since there appears a calculated vagueness to the mandate given to Sharma the scope for doubt is large.

Will he have the writ to deal with separatist elements? Will the locals cease providing militants the back-up on which they thrive? Will Mehbooba Mufti and her government prove capable of positively exploiting the “breather” now provided? Will the National Conference and Congress allow the “agenda for alliance” to succeed and lose their own political space? And will the “tough” BJP both in the state and at the Centre reconcile itself to any give-and take?

These are some of the tricky questions facing Sharma, and since he can hardly be expected to “deliver” single-handedly will he be permitted to select his own support squad, perhaps with a political colour?

Another relevant query would be if normality can be restored as long as Pakistan foments trouble. The hawks will continue to shriek, but the “cap” on violence would suggest that the time is ripe for negotiations, the present government does have the numbers in Parliament but does it have the political muscle to junk traditional policies and get the minority community in J&K and beyond on board? In the ultimate analysis bridging the trustdeficit, ending the sense of alienation of the people, lowering of the “security” profile etc all boil down to how sincere New Delhi is about making the people of the state see themselves as equal-sharers in the “Indian dream”.

Alas, sincerity has in the past not been a strong point with Raisina Hill.