LAHORE, Dec 22: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has asked the world to shun double standards on the Kashmir issue and help resolve it according to a resolution of the United Nations.

At a press conference at a hotel here on Saturday, APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said if the world could talk about Kosovo and South Sudan, why it adopted double standards on Kashmir. “The Kashmir dispute should be resolved according to the United Nations resolution,” he added.

He said it was a bilateral rather trilateral issue and Pakistani and Indian governments should make Kashmiris party to the dispute. “It is a welcome sign that APHC delegates are assured during meetings with various parties in Pakistan that Kashmir is on their agenda,” he said.

Mr Farooq said time had proved that war was not a solution to the Kashmir dispute and it should be resolved on the basis of justice.

Earlier, the delegation called on the Jamaat-i-Islami leadership at Mansoora. Mr Farooq lauded the JI stance that Kashmir was not an issue between India and Pakistan alone because Kashmiri people and leaders were the most important parties to the matter. Prof Abdul Ghani said region’s peace depended on resolution of the Kashmir issue.

JI leader Liaquat Baloch said the sacrifices rendered by Kashmiris would not go waste and they would soon achieve their goal of freedom. He said the root cause of tension between India and Pakistan was the Kashmir issue and the people of both countries were suffering because of the stubbornness of the Indian leadership on the issue. He said Indian leaders should realise that things were rapidly changing in the world and they could no longer continue the occupation of Kashmir.

The JI leader said relations between India and Pakistan could not improve with exchange of cultural troupes and trade of potatoes and onions. Baloch stressed upon the UN and the world to pressurise New Delhi to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir.

The APHC delegation discussed progress with regard to solution of the Kashmir issue with the JI leaders and options for solution of the issue in accordance with Kashmiris’ aspirations.