Q: What, in your view, has been the impact of the post-September 11 events on Kashmir?
A. The impact is profound. Nobody at the global level is now going to support extremism and violence, however genuine may be the cause. At the same time, Kashmir has got into international focus and brought about an awareness that peace has a chance here if the issue is resolved through dialogue. I would say that the armed struggle in Kashmir has suffered a setback after September 11.

Q. There is an impression that you may be the rallying point for the participation of separatist forces in the forthcoming assembly elections?
A. Well, the Kashmiris are an aggrieved lot due to a history of fake and fraudulent elections. As a political worker, I am not averse to elections provided Delhi comes up with legitimate and trustworthy guarantees that the elections would be fair and free. If the Government gives this commitment, it can motivate the Hurriyat to take part in the polls.

Q. But hasn't the prime minister promised free and fair elections?
A. This commitment has to come through a political dialogue. I will be a fool if I take the plunge without any guarantees.

Q. How do you look at the split in the Hizb-ul and the expulsion of Majid Dar?
A. The split has weakened their positions. You cannot throw out colleagues like this. Dar has been a part and parcel of the movement.

Q. You say foreign militants should move out now?
A. You must remember that I had welcomed foreign militants as "mehmaan mujahideen". They were coming to support our cause. Now, we realise that foreign militants have their own agenda and we want them to leave us alone. This is our movement and we should be in the driver's seat. Their presence has come in handy for the Government to build a case of cross-border terrorism, and has robbed our movement of its basic character. They should go back.

Q. How do you justify the violence by local militants?
A. The Mujahideen cannot drive away or defeat the Indian Army. There is no justification for armed struggle anymore. It has achieved its purpose by highlighting the Kashmir issue.

Q. But the Hurriyat doesn't subscribe to this.
A. The Hurriyat may not say so, but Lone is clear about this.

Q. So are you asking them to give up weapons?
A. I am not asking them to lay down arms. But they should stop the violence and start dialogue. If the militants observe a cease-fire, the Government cannot escape talks with Pakistan on the pretext of cross-border terrorism.

Key Players in J&K
The men who could make a definitive impact on the political climate in Jammu and Kashmir

FAROOQ ABDULLAH
Chief minister and NC President
The three-time chief minister is arguably the tallest political figure in the state today. His secular and nationalist credentials are unquestionable and he has a groundswell of goodwill in the state's three regions. He is the only horse that Delhi can back to manage the hot seat in the strife-torn state. Of late, he is known to have been angling for the vice-president's job and is likely to pass the baton to his son Omar Abdullah.
Pro Election

YASIN MALIK
President, J&K Liberation Front
In the late '80s, Malik was among the first to fire the imagination of the Kashmiri youth for armed struggle. Though young, he is ailing and gave up arms in 1996 but retains his separatist moorings. A member of the Hurriyat, he has been in and out of jail in the past several years and was recently booked under POTA. If released from jail before the elections, Malik is expected to doggedly campaign for the boycott of assembly elections.
Anti Election

MIRWAIZ OMAR FAROOQ
President, Awami Action Committee
Was baptised in secessionist politics at age 17 following the assassination of his father in 1990. He inherited the religious title Mirwaiz. Was the founder-chairman of the Hurriyat, the 23-party separatist conglomerate. As the religious head of the oldest mosque in Kashmir, he commands a strong following. Pragmatic and moderate, he may emerge as a rallying point for peace talks with Delhi.
Pro Election

SYED ALI SHAH GEELANI
Former chief, Jamaat-e-Islami
Firebrand fundamentalist and a Jamaat oldguard, Geelani stands for Kashmir's merger with Pakistan. He briefly flirted with legislative politics in the 1960s but soon turned into a diehard secessionist and proponent of jehad. A former chairman of the All Party Hurriyat Conference, Geelani has a firm support base in Sopore, the Jamaat stronghold in north Kashmir. As the senior-most member of the Hurriyat, he is the linchpin of the anti-election separatist platform. But he has serious differences with other Hurriyat leaders due to his avowed stance that the Kashmir movement is a religious issue. His following among Jamaat cadres has dwindled but for the hardliners he remains a father figure.
Anti Election

ABDUL MAJID DAR
Ex-commander, Hizb-ul Mujahideen
Architect of the shortlived July 2000 cease-fire, Dar was until May 4 chief commander of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. Was expelled by the Pakistan-based command council following his differences with Hizb-ul chief Salahuddin. Now busy consolidating his position among Hizb-ul cadres in the Valley, he is believed to have opened lines of communication with Delhi which is eager to exploit the split in the force. Swears by dialogue but unsure of his strength and wary of donning a political mantle. He is the man the Centre hopes will get separatists into the fray.
Pro Election

SHABIR SHAH
Founder, People's League
A founder of pro-Pakistan People's League, Shah has spent at least 10 years in jail because of his firebrand pro-secessionist activities. After he was expelled from the Hurriyat, he floated the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party. Favours dialogue before the elections and has moved away from pro-Pakistan image and now favours independence. Demands neutral observers for polls.
Pro Election

SYED SALAHUDDIN
Pakistan-based chief of Hizb-ul
The preacher turned militant took to the gun after his defeat in the rigged 1987 assembly polls. Has had a safe sanctuary in Pakistan for the past eight years as the chief of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. A trusted ally of the ISI, he has pledged to fight for Kashmir's merger with Pakistan. A brilliant organiser, Salahuddin's priority now is to marginalise rebel Dar and retain a hold on cadres. Likely to give a violent edge to the election boycott call.
Anti Election