FAISALABAD, Sept 24: Speakers at a seminar asked the government to remove discriminatory laws and provisions to ensure equal rights for every citizen.

The seminar, ‘Struggle for peace building in the context of country: problems & resolves’ was organised by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) here on Wednesday in connection with the International Peace Day at Centre for Peace and Harmony.

The seminar demanded an amendment to “discriminatory laws and provisions in the Constitution on the basis of religion, sex, colour, sect and ethnic”.

Speakers demanded that the government remove material spreading biases, discrimination and hatred from textbooks and syllabi be made a source to promote human rights, peace, equality, patriotism, temperance and social values.

Institutions of the state should be allowed to function in accordance with the constitution, military operations in the NWFP and Balochistan be stopped and conflicts be resolved peacefully through peace dialogues with the tribes.

Provincial autonomy and implementation of constitution and judicial system in the tribal areas should be ensured by introducing reforms in the constitution, they added.

The seminar observed that peace without justice was impossible; therefore deposed judges be reinstated as on Nov 2, 2007, position to ensure the independence of judiciary.

The seminar was presided over by NCJP National Director Fr Emmanuel Yousaf, and addressed by Fr Nisar Barkat, Fr Khalid Rasheed Asi, Riffat Qadri, Iftikhar Ahmad, Yousaf Benjamin and Shahid Anwar.