PESHAWAR, July 3: Leaders of different political parties on Saturday underlined the need for political training for party workers.

The call came at the final workshop organized here by the National Democratic Institute and the Centre for Civic Education, Islamabad (CCEI) under the 'political leadership development programme'.

Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Muhammad Adeel, vice-president of the Awami National Party, and Malik Riaz, provincial information secretary of the PML-Q, were prominent among those who attended the prize distribution ceremony at the end of the workshop.

About 48 political activists from across the political divide participated in the programme that had been supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NDI).

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Jhagra said such workshops were rarely held in the NWFP and thanked the NDI for selecting the province for the purpose.

Mr Adeel said that outside the assemblies it was a rare occasion where activists and leaders of different political parties had discussed political matters in a friendly and cordial atmosphere.

He expressed the hope that more such programmes would be held in the NWFP.

Mian Iftikhar of the ANP and Malik Riaz also spoke.

Marry Cummins of the NDI distributed prizes and certificates among the participants.

Two MPAs of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Riffat Jabeen and Nasim Kishwar, got a prize for organizing the women wing in their party. Shandana Mumtaz and Farhat Jabeen of the ANP also got a prize for playing a vital role in forming the ANP's women wing in Charsadda.

Khwaja Yawar Naseer of the People's Party Parliamentarians, Samina Ahmed and Usman Ahmed of the PPP-S, Najeem of the JUI, and Zahida Parveen of the PML-Q were also given prizes.