Insurgency and After

The 1987 Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir was held in an atmosphere of deep distrust. The official results declared a massive victory for the National Conference–Congress alliance, and Farooq Abdullah returned as Chief Minister. But this result was widely believed to be rigged — it did not reflect the popular choice of the people.

Resentment had already been building in the state since the early 1980s against an inefficient administration. The feeling that democratic processes were being undermined by the state government at the behest of the Centre added fuel to the fire. This combination of grievances generated a political crisis that soon turned severe with the rise of insurgency.

By 1989, Jammu and Kashmir was in the grip of a militant movement mobilised around the demand for a separate Kashmiri nation. The insurgents received moral, material, and military support from Pakistan. For several years, the state was under President's rule and effectively under the control of the armed forces.

From 1990 onwards, Jammu and Kashmir experienced extraordinary violence — both at the hands of the insurgents and through army action. Assembly elections were held only in 1996. In that election, the National Conference led by Farooq Abdullah came to power with a demand for regional autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir.

At the end of its term, elections were held again in 2002. The National Conference failed to win a majority and was replaced by a coalition government of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress.