Separatists take to street against elections

Srinagar, Apr 18 (ANI): Separatists affiliated to the moderate faction of the All Party Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference took to the street here on Saturday to protest against the ongoing general elections.

They held up banners and raised anti-election slogans in the Lal Chowk area of Srinagar.

"The Election is not a solution to Kashmir problem. Our reason to protest is that those who are agitating for the Kashmir cause should neither participate nor fight elections," said Zaffar Akbar Bhatt, an executive member of the moderate faction.

Saturday's protest comes two days after Hurriyat Conference acting chairman Maulana Abbas Hussain Ansari announced that his party would not boycott elections.

In a surprise development, the APHC faction led by Ansari had on Thursday reiterated that the elections were no alternative to 'the right to self-determination' but did not specifically call upon the people to keep away from the polls.

Last week another key Hurriyat leader Sajjad Gani Lone declared he would contest the polls.owever, the hard-line Hurriyat group headed by Geelani and the United Jehad Council (UJC) of the armed separatist groups have called for an election boycott. (ANI)