Srinagar, Apr 23: The moderate faction of the Hurriyat conference on Thursday took a U-turn on its decision not to call for a poll boycott in Jammu and Kashmir and asked the people to stay away from ongoing general elections.

Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that election is no substitute to the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We will boycott the elections till Kashmir issue is resolved,” Farooq added.

On April 16, the Hurriyat conference had said that it would not use the word boycott in the ongoing parliamentary polls in the state.

A decision to this effect was taken despite the fact that its hardline political faction has chosen to call for the poll boycott and even expressed resolve to conduct an anti-election campaign.

The decision, however, was taken in the absence of the chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. (ANI)