Daily Times

NAUNDERO: Paying rich tribute to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on the 11th anniversary of her martyrdom, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Wednesday that his mother was a stateswoman who had left a great imprint on global history.

In his message, Bilalwal said Benazir embraced Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pukhtoonkhawa, Balochistan, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan like a unifying chain in her entire life.

Her assassination was meant to counter progress and prosperity in the country, and to prevent realization of the dream of an enlightened modern and democratic Pakistan.

Bilawal said that since the time Benazir had started her political career, she did not rest for a single day. She continued her struggle for the rights of the people and for taking the country to the heights of glory as a peaceful, prosperous and democratic state and society.

“On becoming country’s first woman PM, she took steps for transforming the country into a real welfare state and pursued people-friendly policies and programmes”, he said adding, “She developed the soft image of Pakistan internationally and courageously added the missile defence shield to the nuclear programme of the country and the defence of it.”

The PPP Chairman said that the ideology of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto continued to serve as the cornerstones of the party’s vision for a modern and brighter Pakistan.

Separately, former president PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari paid glowing tributes to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on her martyrdom anniversary.

In a statement, he said that Pakistan Peoples Party will continue to follow the footstep and the philosophy of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto for human liberty and democratic norms.

He said the party has always stood for dignity of human rights and will continue to fight terrorism and extremism. He said that Pakistan Peoples Party has strived for democratic dispensation in the country and have struggled against dictatorship and it will continue to do so.

“Pakistan Peoples Party believes in a tolerant society and wants tolerance in politics as well. Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto believed in reconciliation and understanding others point of view. She taught us to take decisions with consultations.

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto wanted the Parliament to be strong and only for this reason during the PPP government (2008 – 13) all authority and power which the President enjoyed were given to the Parliament. The PPP will never give up the rights of the people through Parliament. PPP will continue to safeguard the rights of the downtrodden masses of the country,” the statement said.

Published in Daily Times, December 27^th 2018.