Srinagar, June 8 -- In Jammu and Kashmir, there are hundreds of pressing issues demanding attention. Unemployment remains high, government offices continue to struggle with efficiency, healthcare is uneven, and drug addiction is quietly consuming an entire generation. Yet if one were to judge by the political discourse of the National Conference, the solution to every problem seems to begin and end with a single word: Statehood.

The question, however, is not why people may want statehood. The more interesting question is why Omar Abdullah appears so desperate for it. A look at the history of the National Conference, stretching from Sheikh Abdullah to the present day, offers some revealing clues.

The simplest explanation is often the mos...