Kashmir's separatist leaders are struggling to win back popular support, and are hoping that a boycott of Thursday's election to the Indian parliament may yet breathe new life into the 20-year movement. The appeal by the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference to stay away from the vote in summer capital Srinagar, the hotbed of the separatist revolt, is seen as an attempt to deny New Delhi any credit for holding elections in the restive Himalayan region. But Kashmiris are questioning whether such tactics have brought them any closer to the long-held goal of self-determination. Troops patrol More than 47,000 people have died in Kashmir since the revolt broke out in 1989. Separatists put the toll at 100,000.
