LAHORE, Oct 3: Referring to Punjab chief minister's tirade against President Asif Ali Zardai, Governor Sardar Latif Khosa said Shahbaz Sharif's 'bigoted' political statements are against the spirit of political harmony and tolerance in the country, a handout said.

Addressing a ceremony hosted in honour of peace activist Kasrat Rai at the Governor's House on Monday, Khosa said Shahbaz Sharif had lost touch with principles of nicety and kindness in politics as 'his tongue breathed fire and fire burnt everything'.

Khosa said Shahbaz must account for the purpose of long- march in the country, asking whether he wanted to launch a long-march against democracy.

He said menace of loadshedding had been haunting the country for years now and it was unjustified to hold PPP-led federal government responsible for it, adding that late Benazir Bhutto's government had added 19,500 megawatts to the national grid in 1996.

The governor said Shahbaz Sharif's 'controversial' statements did not suit chief executive of a province, adding Shahbaz could not fool people through his 'political gimmicks'.

He criticised Shahbaz Sharif and Punjab government for 'harassing' peace walker Kasrat Rai on his arrival in Lahore on Monday, adding that only an enemy of peace could resort to such cheap measures. He admired Rai for his initiative for the cause of peace in the country.

Faiza Malik: The Pakistan People's Party has said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is criticising President Asif Ali Zardari only to gain political mileage.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Pakistan Labour Federation in collaboration with World Federation of Trade Union here on Monday, PPP Women Wing Lahore president Faiza Malik said the PML-N's policies were a threat to democracy.

She said instead of privatising the national institutions, the PPP was making workers their shareholders.

Abdullah Malik, adviser to the Punjab governor, said 'some people' did not want democracy in the country and they were behind the conspiracies against the system.

Haji Saeed Elahi urged the PPP government not to privatise the railways, saying this would do no service to the national organisation.

Atia Salim, Qayyum Nizami and Bushra Malik also spoke.

APML: An All Pakistan Muslim League worker has asked its head Gen Pervez Musharraf (retired) to mobilise workers in Pakistan as those running the affairs of the party are practically doing nothing to strengthen it.

Javed Badr claimed in a statement on Monday that Gen Musharraf had a great following in the country but it could not be brought under the APML umbrella because of the party's present office-bearers.

“Gen Musharraf should take note of the party affairs in the country and listen to the workers,” he said.