SRINAGAR. India. Oct 9 A Kashmiri party Wednesday as sinned power in Indias insurgency wracked state, as a protest strike called by sepa ratists partially shut down the state capital, reports AP

Farooq Abdullah. 60. was sworn in as the states top elected official by federally ap pointed Governor K V Krishna Rao at a brief ceremony. That ended nearly six years of direct federal rule.

However, the All Party Hur-riyat Conference, an umbrella organisation of 32 separatist groups, vowed to continue their struggle for secession The group called on Kashmiris to shut their shops and stay home Wednesday to show their opposition to Abdullah's government .

More than 14,500 people have been killed in Kashmir since 1989, when a simmering campaign for an Independent

Kashmir erupted Into a full scale insurgency

Abdullahs National Conference is the only local Kashmiri party that contested the state election last month. It won 54 seats In the 87-member state assembly; the rest were shared by two national parties, the rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress Party, and smaller groups

Thousands of soldiers and police officers guarded government buildings in capital Srl nagar, as nearly 300 politicians and guests of Abdullah attended the ceremony held in a high security zone.

Abdullah is burdened with the promise of ending the mill tancy and securing wider autonomy for the state — his main election assurances to the voters. Abdullah had earlier served as the state s chief minister. But he left office in 1989.

The separatists want Kash mir to become part of Pakistan. India a Islamic neighbor, or to limmir Independent India and Pakistan have foughl two wars over Kashmir

The balloting last month was marred by bombings that left four people dead strikes, and accusations that voters were forcer! to go to the polls by India security forces who wanted to make the election a success

Officials in New Delhi hope the Abdullah's assumption of office would lie a first step to ward a return to normalcy in Kashmir

AFP add. A strike called by Muslim militants paralysed the Kashmir valley today ahead of the swearing-in of Farooq Abdullah as the troubled region s first chief minister in six years

Government offices, banks, post offices, businesses and courts were shut in Srinagar

and other Muslim majority towns In response to the call by I he Freedom Conference, an umbrella group of Muslim sepa raflst groups

Most vehicles stayed of the roads In Srinagar, the state summer capital

The Freedom Conference called for the shutdown to denounce last month a elections to the Kashmir assembly, which c atapulted Abdullah s pro India National Conference party to power In the first elections since 1987.

Alxiullah. a Muslim politician who supports Kashmir's 1948 accession to India, is to be sworn-In as the Himalayan state s chief minister at a building adjoining the Dal Lake here under heavy security.

Abdullah is set to announce a three-tier government comprising nearly 25 ministers, party sources said.