Sajjad Lone’s decision to contest parliamentary elections from the Baramula constituency reflects a definite shift in the political situation of Kashmir. This is not the first time that a separatist has changed political sides — there are many separatists and ex-militants who have joined mainstream politics — yet Sajjad Lone is the first prominent separatist leader to have taken the plunge into electoral politics. He along with his brother Bilal Lone (who is a key member of the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat Conference) represents the legacy of his father Abdul Gani Lone who was a high-ranking separatist and formed the core of the leadership of the All Party Hurriyat Conference right from the time of its inception. It was his standing as a separatist leader that made the Prime Minister invite Sajjad in 2005 for a one-to-one talk at a time when the Governement of India was engaging the Kashmiri separatists.

Evidently Sajjad’s decision to contest the Lok Sabha elections has been influenced by the massive participation of the people in the 2008 Assembly elections. Not only did they defy the boycott call given by the separatists, but also showed sufficient enthusiasm towards the electoral exercise. This, despite the fact that just a couple of months earlier they had demonstrated their strong separatist sentiments during the Amarnath land row. This is a clear reflection of the deepening of democracy in Kashmir even within the overall environment of separatist sentiments. There is greater credibility of the electoral process on the one hand and greater stakes in local power politics on the other. Since 2002, there are no complaints about central intervention in the electoral exercise or local manipulation — or even of coercion by the security forces. Intense competition between the two regional parties of Kashmir — the NC and PDP — meanwhile has led to popular involvement in the elections.

... contd.