Srinagar, April 24 -- ByDr. Aijaz Ahmad Bhat

Every autumn, thousands of families in Jammu and Kashmir perform the same painful ritual.

Suitcases fill with woolens, medicines, dried vegetables, prayer beads, and homemade food packed with care. Parents walk their children to buses, trains, and airports, then return to homes that suddenly feel empty.

Education has demanded separation for far too long in Kashmir. Opportunity lived elsewhere, and families paid the emotional price.

The passage of the Private Universities Bill in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly changes that story in a profound way.

This legislation opens the door to campuses, jobs, investment, and research. More importantly, it restores something many Kashmiri families have ...