FOR a state which has been caught in the crossfire between insurgents and security forces for over a decade now, the electoral defeat of the National Conference comes as the first good news after a long time. But they are not letting it raise their hopes too much — not yet.While there are some who contend that the plight of the Kashmiris will remain unchanged, regardless of which party governs the state, there are others who are looking forward to a new tomorrow, bolstered by the poll manifesto of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which promises to disband the dreaded State Task Force and abrogate POTA and other draconian laws prevalent in the state.‘‘The poll gains made by the PDP this time are a direct fallout of the party’s promise to put an end to the state-sponsored gunfire at least. No one can eradicate militancy overnight. Even the DG Police, Ashok Kumar Suri, has said militancy may never be contained fully. I believe the PDP got votes because they promised to finish the enemy within,’’ said Sirajuddin (name changed), a downtown resident.Sirajuddin has reason to seek the security forces’ exit from the state. Some years back, he was picked up for questioning and taken to a joint interrogation centre. ‘‘I was told to gulp down two glasses of water with hot red chilli powder. Ever since, my digestive system has been affected,’’ he alleged.Like Sirajuddin, most of the people are hoping to see an end to what they term as the ‘‘Police Raj’’ of the two state agencies — the Special Task Force and the Special Operation Group of the Police. This, besides the non-performance of the Farooq Abdullah government, is reported to be the prime factor behind the defeat of the NC.‘‘What the political pundits call an anti-incumbency wave is actually an anti-repression movement. It is said that of the ‘unofficial’ 90,000 lives lost in Kashmir so far, the six-year NC tenure accounted for 40,000 deaths,’’ said Habibullah Ganai of Tangmarg. Ganai hails from the same constituency that struck 21,000 nails in the coffin of Mustafa Kamaal, younger brother of Farooq Abdullah.‘‘Ghulam Hassan Mir of the PDP defeated Kamaal by the highest margin of this election. While Kamaal talked of Gulmarg’s Gondola and the prosperity it has brought to the area, Mir went to security camps to release some youths picked by troops during crackdowns,’’ he said. ‘‘Mir shares our griefs and sorrows. What will Gondola do for us.’’When pointed out that PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, then the union home minister, had traded some jailed militants for the release of his abducted daughter Rubbaiya Sayeed, he replied: ‘‘That is all in the past. The PDP has changed. So has every politician in every new outfit. They now talk of unconditional dialogue with separatists and getting rid of the Police Raj.’’
