India, Dec. 4 -- In the months since the devastating Pahalgam attack, which killed 25 tourists and one Kashmiri - ruptured the fragile sense of normalcy in Kashmir, the long-pending question of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood had already begun fading from New Delhi's priorities. Now, the November car bombing near Delhi's Red Fort has pushed the debate into even more uncertain terrain. What was once framed as a matter of political commitment has turned into something far more complicated, shaped by new security anxieties and the resurfacing of old fault lines.

The Red Fort blast, which claimed over a dozen lives, has changed the priorities. Investigations have led to the arrest of several suspects from Kashmir, a development that has caused...