NEW DELHI, Feb 24: India has been granted a “lifeline” after most Kashmiris voted in ‘landmark elections’ but the government must avoid complacency and intransigence if it is to bring peace, Indian occupied Kashmir’s new leader said on Tuesday.

But the bad timing of an economic slowdown, a general election and the diplomatic aftermath of November’s Mumbai attacks mean quick progress in the disputed region will be almost impossible, Omar Abdullah told Reuters in an interview.

“The opportunity is enormous,” Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Abdullah said in a house surrounded by photos of a family that has dominated Kashmir for decades. His grandfather was Sheikh Abdullah, the state’s best-known leader known as the “Lion of Kashmir” for his defiance against New Delhi and his subsequent imprisonment for nearly 20 years.

“But we shouldn’t underestimate the extent of the challenges we face,” he added. “There is a bad timing.”

Abdullah, 38, emerged as chief minister in the disputed region in January after his National Conference party and India’s ruling Congress party defied a separatist boycott to win the election and forge a coalition government.

Kashmir was convulsed last year by the biggest pro-separatist protests since 1947 when the sub-continent was divided into Muslim Pakistan and mostly Hindu India. After the Mumbai attacks sparked more diplomatic tension, there was some international pressure on India to find a solution to Kashmir.

The fact that the two-decades-old insurgency has waned should not be taken as an excuse to sit back, Abdullah said.

“New Delhi made the mistake of convincing itself that because tourist numbers were up, violence levels were down, that the Kashmir issue had kind of buried itself,” Abdullah said.

“New Delhi has really been handed a lifeline through this election and they need to capitalise on that.”—Reuters