In fashioning a response to Pakistan over cross-border terrorism, which has acquired an urgency after the Kaluchak massacre, the Centre will be taking all precautions to ensure that the assembly elections are not jeopardised. The first fallout of the attack could be on the Centre’s peace process aimed at roping in separatist leaders for the elections. The Centre’s agenda No 1 in J&K is the conduct of free and fair polls with a substantial degree of credibility, and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s coming visit to the state is an indication. The Centre wants the fragile democratic process inside Kashmir to stay on track. Any heightening of tensions with Pakistan would automatically ensure hardening of the separatists’ attitude towards the Centre. The beneficiary can only be the National Conference (NC) which will in such a scenario encounter little political opposition. The NC has, in fact, been watching sullenly as the Centre reaches out to the separatists. ‘‘The way the Centre is desperate to bring the separatists — who did nothing but caused mayhem and bloodshed — into the elections, we are being made to feel as if we are not important,’’ says minister of state for external affairs and the NC’s new face in the Valley, Omar Abdullah, ‘‘and this discourages our workers and leaders who have been facing the violence for more than a decade now.’’ In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Omar indicated that in the run-up to the elections, the NC — which is all set to go back to its ideals and rebuild its image as a regional, secular party with Omar as party chief — may go for a confrontation with the Centre over the autonomy issue. The party is getting ready to pass the autonomy bill in the state legislature and thus strengthen its resolve to restore a pre-1953 status to the state. In fact, Omar said restoration of autonmy was the most important promise made by the party during the last election campaign. ‘‘Right now we are feeling apologetic about it. It is one major thing that remains heavy on our minds,’’ he said. ‘‘There are still several months left. Let me say it is not a dead issue. We have enough time to fulfill this promise and then go to the people again.’’ Omar said the way the Centre summarily rejected the autonomy resolution passed by the assembly with a huge majority was the worst disservice to India and its cause in Kashmir. ‘‘The way our autonomy resolution was thrown into the dustbin even without a discussion gave the Hurriyat Conference a ready excuse not to join parleys with the Centre. The Hurriyat immediately reacted by saying that if the Government rejects even autonomy to the state, what will they talk to them about,’’ he said. ‘‘The summary rejection of autonomy was nothing but a clear negation of the voice of the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the Centre. This demand is our constitutional right and does not seek anything outside the ambit of the Constitution.’’ Reacting to the PM’s insistence that the Centre was keen to hold free and fair polls in the state this time, Omar said these remarks were ‘‘more a re-assurance aimed at encouraging separatists to join the electoral process than a comment on the previous elections held in the state.’’ Omar admitted that the allegation of rigging during the 1987 polls was not far from truth. ‘‘There is no smoke without fire. However, the only way to rig an election is towards the direction it is already heading,’’ he said. ‘‘However, the elections in Kashmir have in no way been different from the elections in the rest of the country. In fact our record has been much better than Bihar.’’ He ruled out allowing international observers to monitor the elections, saying that ‘‘will set a precedent. It has never happened anywhere in the country earlier, so we cannot allow it to happen in Kashmir’’. He even ruled out free movement of the staff of foreign embassies in New Delhi, saying that ‘‘to some extent free movement of the embassy officials will also be tantamount to international observation’’. The same, he said, held true for foreign NGOs. ‘‘We will allow the foreign media, which will watch the entire process. Then we have a number of reputed Indian NGOs and rights groups which can come in.’’ Omar admitted that the separatists did enjoy some political space in Kashmir but portrayed it as extremist voices like that of Jamat-e-Islami who always had a presence in the state. ‘‘It is difficult to spell out as to how much ground they exactly hold. That is why we are asking them to join the poll process. Let them come and test the waters,’’ he said. Omar’s immediate concern, however, remains ‘‘rejuvenating the party’’. He pointed out ‘‘there is a second generation difference between me and the founder of the party. I belong to a different generation and the party will be structured as per my own thinking. People will be rewarded only for performance. If I have given 40 years of my life to the party, it does not mean I should be allowed to get whatever I want as a reward for my loyalty,’’ he said.
