HYDERABAD, Dec 17: Peace activists and journalists on Saturday urged Pakistan and India to reopen all those routes which were operative between the two countries until 1947.

They were speaking at a gathering at the Hyderabad press club on Saturday.

The programme was organized by the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy.

A peace march was also staged by the participants.

Those who spoke on the occasion included PIPFPD secretary general Anees Haroon, noted columnists M.B. Naqvi, Amar Sindhu and Arbab Nek Mohammad, peace activists Sikandar Talpur and Zafar Rajput.

Ms Haroon condemned an inordinate delay in reopening of the Khokhropar-Munabao border.

She said the reopening would bring about economic change in Sindh and the route be used for trade.

“All means of communication, especially roads, be developed in Tharparkar because without infrastructure proper development could not take place”, she said.

She called for constructing road on 34 kilometre area from Jaloo-jo-Chauhro to the zero point.

M.B. Naqvi said the government should hear people’s voice because they always opposed war and supported peace.

Sikandar Talpur said peace would bring people of two countries closer to each other.

He urged the people to participate in December 23 peace festival to be organized by the forum at the zero point.

Zafar Rajput opposed logic of military leadership of not developing border areas under some strategy.

Amar Sindhu said the people of India and Pakistan were hugging each other and only the governments were opposed to that idea.

Arbab Nek Mohammad recalled that before the partition there was a bus service between Sindh and Gujrat.

He demanded that Khokhropar-Munabao bus service should be started and that bordering towns of India and Pakistan be declared twin cities.