SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER 28: No crackdowns, no search operations, no frisking and no fear of harassment by the security forces on the roads. Sixteen people, including eight militants and five security personnel, were killed and 25 injured in separate incidents but no major incident was reported on the first day of the cease-fire in the state. It all seems very unreal but the desire for peace in the Valley is quite strong.A cloud seemed to have lifted from Srinagar and the markets were jam-packed with cheerful people. But behind every smile there was a fear that the militants could strike any moment - a massive bomb blast, attack on minorities or on a security force camp - and shatter the peace. People avidly discussed the prospects of a permanent halt in the decade-long violence.``I don't know how long this calm will last but it's a great beginning,''said Abdul Rasheed Mir, a fruit-seller at Lal Chowk. ``See the markettoday. It is full of people. What else do we need! If this calm lasts for amonth, entire Kashmir will change''.Behind Mir's cart was a readymade garments showroom where a group of men were discussing the cease-fire. ``Whether the cease-fire will be successful or not is not the issue. At least peace is finally being given a chance to resolve this problem,'' Mohammad Sayeed, a 35-year-old lecturer, said. ``Earlier, the Government would not think beyond military measures. Now they(the Government) too seem to be looking beyond the iron fists and pro-activepursuits''.A pessimist in the group, physician Arshad Ahmad, is not so hopeful: ``How is this cease-fire going to make any sense if it continues to be unilateral? In fact, there will be a spurt in violence because the militant groups, which have rejected it as a conspiracy, will definitely step up their activities,'' he said. ``Peace cannot be achieved by a unilateral cease-fire. If the Government is sincere, they should reduce deployments and call the troops back to the barracks.''Sayeed was impatient. ``We always want to achieve results overnight. How is that possible? There was a time when everybody was speaking the language of guns and bombs. Now the prospects of a dialogue are being discussed,'' he said. He described the unilateral cease-fire as the second step (first being the Hizbul's July cease-fire offer) for the initiation of a peace process in Kashmir.Later, a university professor discussed the logic behind the rejection ofthe cease-fire by the militant leadership across the border. ``They(militants), especially the jehadi groups, will definitely step up theirviolent campaign,'' he said, on the condition of anonymity. ``They don'twant the situation to be normal. Peace without forcing the Indian Army toretreat even an inch from the border is meaningless for them.''He said a halt in the violent campaign for a few months could make a drastic change in the ground situation. ``Peace is an addiction. Once the militantstaste it for a few months, they will find it difficult to go back tothe harshness of an underground life,'' he said.The security forces and the police here too hope the halt in thecounter-insurgency operations will make the militants get the feel of anormal life. ``The local militants will definitely love to grab thisopportunity,'' said outgoing Director General of Police Gurbachan Jagat.``But we have to be ready and alert for the response of the foreigners, whohave rejected the initiative. Still we will implement the cease-fire on theground strictly.''The officers in the field, however, believe the militants will takeadvantage of this peace initiative and consolidate. ``As there are nocordons, no seek-and-destroy operations, they (the militants) will takeadvantage of the situation and re-organise,'' said Muneer Khan, SeniorSuperintendent of Police, Anantnag. ``It is no relaxation for us because thecease-fire is one-sided. If my men are not on the offensive, they aretense and busy protecting the minorities. We have boosted the strength of our minority guard posts everywhere,'' he said.But the common man would like to wish that peace returns. ``There is such a crowd everywhere that for a moment I felt it was Eid today,'' said Javiad Ahmad, who has enrolled for a computer course in the city centre.
