KARACHI, July 18: Peace activists have called upon India and Pakistan to drastically cut down expenditure on building military might and, instead, ensure respect for human rights and provision of basic facilities to their toiling people.

Participating in a two-day workshop on History of Peace Movement in South Asia, organized by the Labour Education Foundation, the activists demanded launching of Khokhrapar and Muzaffarabad bus service, and called on the two countries to work jointly to neutralize the rising religious extremism.

The title of the workshop had occasioned a lively and meaningful discussion on the current state Pakistan-India relation and what should the peace activists be doing at this stage.

The ongoing talks between the two states, especially after an agreement on a comprehensive schedule of negotiations, occupied considerable attention of the participants.

They called upon media in both the countries to desist from negative propaganda, and suggested that visa regime be made easy and India should reopen its consulate in Karachi.

They appealed to Pakistan and India to cut down their defence expenditure and reduce their military strength by 50 per cent. The activists stressed on amicable and peaceful resolution of all disputes between the two countries.

They emphasized the need for Pakistan-India free trade and economic cooperation. Speaking about peace movements in Pakistan and India, Mr M. B. Naqvi traced the history of peace initiatives.

Referring to the current status of Pakistan-India peace initiative, he said the push for peace, despite the two countries going nuclear, was the manifestation of the success of peace movements as well as the aspirations of the people of the two countries.

Chairman of Labour Party, Pakistan chapter, Nisar Shah advocate had doubts about the two countries' sincerity in peace dialogue for securing a durable peace. The last session of the workshop was addressed by Fahmida Riaz who called upon intellectuals and academics of both the countries to turn their energies against those who talked of war and exploitation. Secretary of the Labour Education Foundation, Sindh chapter, and coordinator Zahra Akbar Khan also spoke at the workshop.