 LAHORE, Pakistan - Pakistan on Sunday peacefully held a mixed marathon race in the eastern city of Lahore, despite objections from Islamist political parties over womenÂ’s participation in the event.
| Wonder if Hillary attended? |
The marathon, which was first held in 2005, carried a total cash prize of 115,000 dollars. The event also had 10-kilometre (six miles), five-kilometre (three miles) and three-kilometre (1.8 miles) races.
President Pervez Musharraf inaugurated the race in which some 30,000 men and women athletes participated from Pakistan and 15 other countries. ‘This event has helped in creating a soft image of our country,’ Musharraf told reporters. ‘Through this international competition, the people of Pakistan have rejected the extremists, giving them a clear message that they are keen to organise and participate in such healthy sporting activities,’ he said.
Ameer ul-Azeem, a spokesman for Jamaat-e-Islami -- Pakistan’s largest religious terrorist party -- said protests by Islamist parties compelled the government to hold ‘segregated’ marathons. ‘We are not against women taking up a sport, but their participation in mixed events with men is not acceptable,’ Azeem said, adding that his party had not planned any disruption of the race this year.
| "Because then we'd be looking at scantily-clad, sweating, running wimmin, and I can't allow our members to do that! They might get unpure ideas!" |
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