LAHORE, May 16: Punjab PML-N women wing leaders advised the relevant NGOs not to turn the country into a ring by holding mixed marathons. In a statement here on Monday, they said the rulers, before permitting such events, should ask themselves whether they would like their mothers, sisters or daughters to run with men on roads.

The rulers should discourage such programmes or the future generations would be adversely affected, they added.

The statement was issued by Begum Najma Hameed, Begum Zakia Shahnawaz and Nasreen Nawaz.

They said their party would resist all attempts to secularize the society.

They said it was strange that the rulers remained unmoved even on the desecration of Holy Quran.

In a separate statement, party’s provincial president Zulfiqar Khosa said democratic forces should throw the rulers out or the country would face serious threats.

He said Gen Musharraf was devoting all his energies to prove himself as a US loyalist.

Mr Khosa said those thinking of dividing Kashmir could one day also have similar views about Pakistan.

PDP leaders Khwaja Izhar, Alim Bhatty, Martin Michael, Mian Munir, Javed Butt and Rana Abdur Rashid said in a statement the Presidency had been made controversial by Gen Pervez Musharraf by calling meeting of a particular party there.