KHAIRPUR, Nov 17: Renowned social leader and leader of Peace Coalition Pakistan, Karamat Ali, has said that Pakistan and India will have to downsize their expenditure on army for bringing about a durable peace in the South Asia.

The peace activist said in his keynote address at a seminar on “Peaceful South Asia and Its Opportunities” held at the press club on Sunday that Pakistan and India spend about $30 billion on purchase of weapons.

He said that Pakistan was the seventh country in the world to achieve atomic power but still it was worried about getting loan from international financial institutions.

He said that many countries’ economy depended on sale of weapons and Pakistan and India were big purchasers of weapons. Today, there was no genuine democracy in any country of the South Asia, he claimed.

Punhal Sario of Sindh Hari Porhiyat Council said that history of Sindh was witness to the fact that Sindhis had never attacked other people.

Sufis of Sindh had struggled against rulers and aggressors and their message of peace and struggle of Sufis needed to be spread among all nations of Asia, he said.

The chairman Civil Society Khairpur Mir Munawar Talpur said that peasants and labourers had struggled for a peaceful atmosphere and they, too, needed peace.

He said that peace could be achieved by spreading and following the philosophy of Sufi saints like Shah Inayat Shaheed, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and Sachal Sarmast.

Anosha Alam of Peace Coalition said that the governments should be compelled to cut down number of their armies through public relations and show of public unity.

Prof Asad Shah Abidi, Saeed Qureshi, Agha Shahnawaz and Amjad Lashari also spoke at the seminar, which passed a resolution, opposing the policy of selling Sindh’s resources.

KILLED: Two people were killed in separate incidents on Monday when unknown armed men opened fire on them.

Reports said that some armed men opened fire on Samano Odho when he was irrigating his agricultural land near Malhar Odho village in the jurisdiction of Faiz Mohammad Bindo police station on Monday. He died on the spot.

In another incident, two motorcyclists opened fire on Noor Mohammad Katohar in Osta Gahi and killed him. A woman Ms Amiran Pathan was seriously injured in the cross fire and moved to Civil Hospital.

GUTTED: Eight mud-thatched houses were reduced to ashes in Khajoor Market area when they caught fire on Monday evening.

Reports reaching here said that the houses of Yasin, Nisar, Bashir, Qamar-u-din and four others were burnt down. The affected people were labourers in Khajoor Market and Sabzi Mandi near National Highway.