After the 2002 assembly polls, the Pakistani establishment exhibited a reconciliatory policy shift towards the mainstream political leaders of Kashmir — a phenomenon which was unimaginable just a few years ago. This included a warm welcome to the president of the opposition NC, Omar Abdullah, and even to the second rung leadership of the PDP and NC. In fact, both Abdullah and the PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, are scheduled to visit Islamabad to attend a Pugwash conference later this month. The Pakistani establishment has also distanced itself from the hardcore separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and has rather embraced Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, whose Hurriyat Conference has come up as a moderate separatist force with substantial acceptance in New Delhi.

The statement coming from the militant leadership based in Pakistan, regarding their commitment not to use violence to enforce a poll boycott, too helped boost the poll process. The only cadre-based political party among Kashmiri separatists — the Jamaat-e-Islami — too has recently distanced itself from poll boycott, further substantiating the hope that the forthcoming elections will be fiercely contested. And if Pakistan and the militant leadership continue to follow their public posture of not using violence to scare people away, it will, in fact, add spice to the contest. The mainstream political groups in Kashmir have used the militancy and poll boycott as a strategy to sail through in different parts of the valley in previous elections. But this year, the contests will be much more open, expanding the voting beyond the traditional support bases. For example, the traditional boycott constituency of Srinagar city and the urban townships across the Valley will spring new surprises if people come out in big numbers to vote.

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