Friday, April 1 2005 08:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chandigarh: Opposing the US decision to offer F-16 fighter jets to India and Pakistan, the Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) yesterday (Mar 31, 2005) said that the sale of warplanes would intensify the arms race in the subcontinent.

"Both Pakistan and India should decline the US offer on jet sale as it will only intensify the arms race between the two nations," Imdad Qazi, General Secretary of CPP told reporters in Chandigarh.

The "sudden" development could even threaten the Indo-Pak peace process, he said.

Qazi, is in Chandigarh to participate in the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of India (CPI), said that both India and Pakistan should now look towards giving a boost to their trade ties.

"The visa regimes should be eased and people should be free to travel on either side of the border. The borders of hatred in the past should now become borders of love," Qazi said.

Asked about communist movement in Pakistan, he said it was now gaining ground.

"The party, which remained banned from 1954 to 1986, was functioning through a well-defined tehsil, district and State level committees," he said.