If the choice of DGP goes wrong, Kashmir could well move the Syria way as predicted by interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma.
Farooq Abdullah has proved time and again that, in reality, he is no more than a sophisticated version of Yasin Malik.
The fear of death has not only failed to serve as a deterrent but getting killed at the hands of security forces is now considered glamorous.
The ground situation in the Valley is grim. There has been a spurt in the number of militant attacks.
Vajpayee was the last leader to have made any significant headway towards resolving the Kashmir crisis.
Such moves only deepen the sense of alienation on the ground and push Kashmiri youths towards militancy.
The voice of the minority community has remained unheard since independence and Jammu and Kashmir's accession to India.
"I have lost a younger brother. Despite threats, JD stayed my PSO for years. I could relax only because he watched over me."
How this year's Yatra goes will show whether Kashmir has retained its 'special' quality - and the right to demand special status.
OHCHR chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has sought a commission of inquiry to probe Indian excesses in the Valley.
