KARACHI, June 29: Speakers at a seminar on Sunday demanded an increase allocations for social sectors, especially health and education, in order to ensure a real progress.

The seminar on Problems and Prospects of Peace: challenges for South Asia was organized by the Campaign for a Peaceful Pakistan.

Saleem Raza, Chief of the National Trade Union Federation, Tauqeer Gillani of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Liberation, Nasir Mansoor and Shams-ul-Muqtadar were among those who spoke at the seminar.

Observing that Pakistan is a poor and developing country, they urged the government to reduce its spending on non-developmental expenditure and called for educating the masses in order streamline the country on strong footings.

Pointing out that Kashmir is a very serious and complex issue, they stressed that the people of Kashmir were the most important stakeholders and that their aspirations must be respected while finding a solution to this issue.

One of the speakers suggested that Pakistan and India both should withdraw their forces from the entire disputed territory and an international peacekeeping force be deployed there. After this, he added, the Kashmiri people be given a chance to elect a government of their own choice and take decisions freely.

Kashmir issue must be resolved now to pave the way for a lasting peace in South Asia, he said.

Another speaker observed: “Wars in present days are not fought with the might of weapons. It is economic superiority that conquers.” He urged the masses to shun their differences and forge unity. All the states in South Asia should work together for integrated efforts to give a boost to their trade with each other so that the whole region could become an economic giant.

Yet another speaker suggested that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) be made fully functional for the sake of an economic boost in the member states and prosperity of their peoples.

Many of the speakers stressed that South Asia be declared a nuclear-free zone.

They demanded of the Saarc members to ease travel restrictions for each other’s people and said that the move would help remove any misunderstanding and misgivings created by vested interests over the years.