Is change coming to the bitterly contested Jammu and Kashmir region, the decades-old flashpoint between Pakistan and India? With India's tk-week electoral process in full swing, all eyes are turned toward the region where voters, appearing less deterred than usual by calls from separatist groups, went to the polls last week in the fourth day of national voting under the watchful gaze of security forces determined to keep violence to a minimum.
Despite years of attempts by militants and separatists to stop the elections altogether, by the end of the week, media organizations said voting appeared to be slightly ahead of the 2004 pace, going against a call by the separatist group Hurriyat Conference to skip the polls. As many as 6,000 protesters turned up in the main city of Srinigar Friday, led by Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, with about 30 injured as protesters threw stones at police.
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