Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) on Thursday expressed hope that the next government at the Centre will take necessary steps to resolve the Kashmir issue.
JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik in a statement said, "We hope the new government in India will shun the traditional policy of dragging on the Kashmir issue and take necessary steps to resolve it on priority basis."
He said that majority of people, by staying away from the parliamentary elections have conveyed the message that they want the Kashmir issue to be resolved.
"We hope that the new government will honour this democratic message of the Kashmiris," he added.
Malik said "we are also expecting international community to use good offices with India and Pakistan for resolution of Kashmir issue to eliminate the lurking threat to the world peace."
Malik was released after 22 days of house arrest.
Criticising the government for its crackdown on the separatists ahead of the elections, the JKLF leader said "the action tantamounts to snatching of our democratic rights. It is the democratic right of the people to canvass for or against the polls, but the government by placing us under house arrest has snatched our democratic rights".