State of disunity: PPP holds three ceremonies for Bhutto’s birthday

Wattoo, Gillani and Ghurki held separate ceremonies

LAHORE:

The Punjab chapter of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) failed yet again to overcome internal differences for Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s birthday on Monday.

Three ceremonies were organized to mark’s Bhutto’s birthday in Lahore.

PPP Punjab organised a function at its Model Town secretariat, PPP Lahore in Gulberg and PPP Vice President Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani organised a function at his residence in DHA.

PPP Punjab president Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo said Bhutto’s birthday would be celebrated with simplicity as per the decision of the party at Model Town secretariat.

Wattoo paid rich tributes to Bhutto and his efforts for empowering the poor.



He said Bhutto had granted the people of Pakistan the right of vote on the basis of adult franchise for the first time. He said the PPP had been calling for elimination of terrorists for many years.

Wattoo said Bhutto had given the country its first constitution.

He condemned the attack on civil society activists at Liberty Chowk.

He urged the Punjab government to find and arrest those responsible.

“It cannot be too difficult to arrest them because they can be identified easily from TV footage,” he said.

He said this was a test case for the government.

Responding to a question, Wattoo said the PPP had agreed to the establishment of military courts since it was the only mechanism proposed to root out terrorism from the country.

He said the courts had been constituted for two years and would deal with terrorism cases referred to them by the federal government.

General secretary Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, Sohail Milk, MPA Faiza Malik, Jahan Ara Wattoo, Shahida Jabeen, Bushra Malik, Yasmeen Farooq, Jehanzaib Burki, Javed Akhtar, Manzoor Maneka, Abid Siddiqui, Khalid Butt, Dr Bangish and dozens of PPP workers were also present.

Former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani also paid rich tributes to Bhutto, saying he was a visionary leader who gave the country its constitution.

He said the PPP had always struggled for democracy and would maintain the tradition.

PPP Lahore president Samina Ghurki said Bhutto was alive in the hearts of the people.

She said the PPP would continue to uphold the values of its leaders.
Ghurki said Bhutto had started the PPP with a vision that must be fulfilled. She said the party was looking to its chairman to continue the party’s struggle for workers, farmers and minorities.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2015.