PESHAWAR, June 9: The Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy Peshawar chapter’s general council on Sunday asked the governments of the two countries to forthwith sign a ‘no war pact’ and drastically reduce their defence budgets.

The general council of the forum’s Peshawar chapter, in a meeting presided over by its president, Advocate Qamarun Nisa, unanimously resolved that the countries should reduce their defence spending by 25 per cent in three years and divert the budget to the public sector.

The participants said the government had enhanced the defence budget  by about 11 per cent, whereas after the pullback of troops from the borders there was no need for it.

The council, through a resolution, hailed the thaw in relations between the countries and asked their governments to start meaningful dialogue, which should culminate on permanent peace in the region.

Through another resolution, it asked the governments to improve trade ties with each other.

It noted that smuggled Indian goods were already available in the markets and said there was no logic in not improving the trade relations.

It asked the governments to lift visa restrictions and remove problems faced by visitors from each other’s country, including police registration.  

It demanded lifting of the ban on each others television channels, especially the news channels, by both the countries.

It asked the government to forthwith remove the models of missiles, rockets and Chaghai from the intersections and roads as their display was promoting jingoism and extremism.

It asked the Indian government to stop testing of missiles and said it would accelerate the arms race.

The speakers said that both the developing countries needed to invest more in education, health and agriculture sectors instead of testing atom bombs and missiles.

Most of the speakers said the political survival of both the  governments depended on the kashmir issue due to which they were not honest in resolving it.

Once the issue was resolved, there would be no need of maintaining such big armies, so the generals were not in favour of resolving the issue, they alleged.

The council decided to hold a programme which would be attended by musicians, artists and writers of both the countries.

The president of the forum’s provincial chapter, Khwaja Waseem, presented the resolutions which were unanimously adopted.