Autonomy as a Solution for Kashmir?

Kashmir has been one of the most disturbed places in the world for more than 2 decades now.Of course,next only to West Asia and the Civil War stuck autocracies of Africa.However,over the past couple of months the reasons that has attributed to these disturbances are more local than global as has been the case so far.
The recent spate of violence and an upsurge in the separatist voices in Kashmir has made many wonder as to what has suddenly changed for Kashmir.The death of 63 Kashmiris in a matter of 2 months however,has evinced more curiosity than empathy among the rest of India.How are these deaths different? After all thousands of innocent Kashmiris have already lost their lives to the hands of militancy in the last 2 decades?
The answer lies in the question itself.This time around the deaths are a result of excesses of the security forces in dealing with mobs,as claimed by the people of Kashmir.No doubt that this has an element of truth in it.The violent protests that broke out as a result of a fake encounter has now thrown Kashmir into a seemingly endless cycle of violence.Although the issue of contention that was earlier limited to the abuse of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act(or AFSPA),a legislation that gives Security and Quasi-Security forces unlimited powers to deal with extremists,has now taken the form of a widespread resentment.
And like always the Indian establishment is busy finding a "foreign hand" to it.Some even consider it as an act of handful of Islamic miscreants.While for others it is the separatist forces that are playing.Although these apprehensions might be partially true.However,the fact appears starkly different.Under the shield of Article 370,J&K has been granted a special status.But the government has done nothing special to improve the conditions in Kashmir.This state,in fact,has become a scapegoat and a victim to lethargic diplomacy and pusillanimous politics.It took 60 years to build a rail link connecting a stretch of Kashmir valley(Qazigund-Baramulla) to the rest of India.There is still no proper educational infrastructure in the valley leave alone Centres of Excellence(like IITs,NITs etc.).Tourism and Cottage Industries are still the mainstay of the
state economy and the livelihood of the people that hasn't helped improve their incomes.People are harassed in the name of their own security(thanks to AFSPA).Still the people of the state have,time and again,reinstated their faith in the Indian democracy.
Why should we expect a generation which hasn't seen anything but violence since its birth,a generation that has no jobs,a generation that is skeptical about its own future;to be enthused about a depressing and constraining surrounding?
However,having said all that,the fact remains that azaadi is surely not the best of the possible solutions for Kashmir.Even if Kashmir is liberated,it will surrounded by three Nuclear states with countries such as China & Pakistan eager to express their influence on it.It will not be long before Kashmir falls into the hands of extremist forces,as rightly pointed out by Dr. Farooq Abdullah,Former CM of J&K.Neither is Autonomy as a feasible solution as it will lead to loosening of India's grip on the state.
It is high time that we honor the long standing faith of Kashmiris in Indian democracy and with such a crisis in sight,it seems inevitable that India should undertake an economic and social integration program for Kashmir,with the rest of India.And given the situation,this needs to be urgent.It should be made noticeable that a Kashmiri is as Indian as a Gujarati or a Marathi,in all possible terms of the Indian democracy and the Constitution.