MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 10: The British Labour Party recognises Kashmir as an unresolved issue needing to be resolved, says a councillor from UK and the ruling party's candidate in the next parliamentary elections Barrister Attaur Rehman Chishti.

He told Dawn on Friday that the Labour Party was the only party which adopted a resolution on Kashmir in 1990s, adding that other British parties had never adopted such a resolution.

The 25-year-old barrister has his roots in Batangi Pattika village, some 16 kilometres north of here, and his father, Abdul Rehman Chishti, had been an AJK government adviser on religious affairs in the mid-70s.

"I was fortunate to obtain a public office at the age of 24. Now I consider myself privileged for having been nominated as a parliamentary candidate," he said. Barrister Chishti who was elected as councillor from Gillingham North Ward last year and would challenge former shadow foreign secretary and sitting MP Francis Maude in next year's elections in Horsham constituency where Asians form hardly 0.1 percent of the 90,000 voters.

However, he is confident to make his way to the Parliament on the basis of his programme for his electorates. "In politics, it does not matter who you are. I was elected councillor by English voters. It's all about ability and merit and it's because we live in a free democracy," he said.

Asked what role he could play for Kashmir while representing purely English voters, he said that British voters were deeply concerned about human rights and showed keen interest in international politics.

There was lot of understanding about Kashmir issue in the UK which was evident from the formation of an All Parties Kashmir Committee in the Parliament with over 40 MPs its members, he said. He pointed out there were several MPs in that committee who didn't have Kashmiris in their constituencies.