ISLAMABAD: The 17th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto is being observed across the country today (Friday) with great devotion and respect.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) supporters and leaders have started to reach Garhi Khudabakhsh in Naudero, the hometown and the resting place of the Bhutto family.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, President Asif Ali Zardari, and central and provincial leaders of the party will address the main congregation at the mausoleum of Benazir Bhutto this afternoon.
The mausoleum of martyrs and surrounding areas have been decorated with portraits of the Bhutto family including Benazir and party flags. A 60-foot-wide main stage has been established for the leader to address at the public gathering.
Security arrangements have been tightened to maintain law and order situation on the occasion including the installation of walk-through gates at the entrances of the shrines.
Benazir’s youngest child, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, who is now the first lady of Pakistan and central president of PPP’s Ladies Wing and Asif’s sister and member of provincial assembly (MPA) Faryal Talpur, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had reached the Presidential House Naudero in Garhi Khudabakhsh a day ahead of the anniversary.
As Pakistan mourns the assassination of the elected prime minister, President Asif Ali Zardari has urged the nation to draw inspiration from Bhutto’s vision to steer the country out of its current challenges.
In his message on the 17th martyrdom anniversary of his slain wife [Benazir Bhutto], Zardari said we honour a leader who embodied the very spirit of hope, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the ideals of democracy and justice.
“Shaheed Mohtarma was a trailblazer who dreamt of a Pakistan where the rights of all citizens, irrespective of colour, class, and creed, would be protected,” he said in a message.
On the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed Benazir Bhutto Shaheed “a champion of democracy” and a staunch supporter of the power of dialogue and reconciliation in the political process.
In his message on Benazir’s death anniversary, the premier said Mohtarma remains an icon of courage and resilience,”.
“The Charter of Democracy, signed between Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif, stands as a testament to her enduring legacy,” he wrote in a post on X, this morning
Prime Minister Shehbaz offered his deepest respect to Benazir Bhutto Shaheed’s family, especially President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and to her followers, who were proudly carrying forward her vision and advancing her ideals.
