38th death anniversary:Garhi Khuda Bux welcome jiyalas today to remember Bhutto

Strict security measures have been taken inside and outside the mausoleum

SUKKUR: Arrangements have been finalised to mark the 38th death anniversary of Pakistan's ninth elected Prime Minister, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto today.

Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) top leadership, including Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari will address the public gathering and a meeting of the central executive committee will be held this evening at Naudero House.

Strict security measures have been taken both inside and outside the mausoleum at Garhi Khuda Bux where around thousands of policemen, including female police constables, commandos and Rangers personnel will be deployed. Many walk-through gates have also been installed at the venue entrance while a large number of closed-circuit television cameras have also been installed to monitor the movement of people.



Keeping the hot weather in view, the entire venue has been covered and tents have been provided for the party workers who are coming from other parts of the country.

Like every year, sabeels have been established en route the mazar and outside the venue where people will be served cold water, food and tea.

The jalsa proceedings will start at 1pm, in which writers and poets will pay homage to Bhutto through their papers and poetry. The main event is expected to start at 3pm when various party leaders will address the gathering. Bilawal and Zardari will deliver their speech in the end.



Former Sindh chapter president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Nadir Akmal Laghari, who recently joined the PPP, and former Sindh chapter president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Ismail Rahu are also said to be attending the rally today.

Meanwhile, talking to the media in Larkana on Monday, PPP's Sindh chapter President, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro confirmed that the arrangements for the celebration of Bhutto's 38th death anniversary were finalised in a befitting manner

"Hundreds of thousands of party workers from across the country will attend the jalsa which, besides other people, will be addressed by Bilawal and Zardari," said Khuhro, adding that a meeting of the central executive committee will be held in the evening at Naudero House.



PPP-Workers President Safdar Ali Abbasi, talking to The Express Tribune, said April 4 was a day when a world-recognised leader was executed. Today, not only Pakistanis, but the global community is expressing their dissatisfaction over the judicial murder of Bhutto, Abbasi said.

PPP has filed a reference in court challenging the judicial murder and it should be proceeded with to let the people know that Bhutto was wrongly executed, Abbasi said, adding that Bhutto was internationally recognised as a great politician and statesman.

He [Bhutto] was a man who believed in ideologies and so, took party politics out of drawing rooms and brought it among the common people, Abbasi said.



"I am sorry to say that the PPP, which had its roots throughout Pakistan, has today been confined to Sindh alone because its leaders have once again made it a drawing room party," he said, adding April 4 is a day that demands from the party leadership to carve ways and means to revive the party's lost glory.

Meanwhile, a leader of PPP-Shaheed Bhutto, Khawaja Ghulam Hussain, while talking to The Express Tribune, predicted that the PPP's rally today will be a failure because the party ignored the diehard workers of the PPP during the recent process of re-organisation in the party at province, district and city levels.

There are differences among many PPP leaders who have formed their own groups, Hussain said, adding that MNA Faryal Talpur's intervention in the organisation of the party was yet another setback for the party. So far, the PPP has failed to deliver, he said, giving an example of the December 27 rally in which Zardari had announced that he and Bilawal will contest the by-elections. That announcement remains a political stunt, said Hussain.



There is a big difference between Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Zardari, who does not have a vision, he said.