PM pays homage to Benazir on 69th birth anniversary

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday paid tributes to slain Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on the occasion of her 69th birth anniversary.

"I pay my rich tributes to Shaheed Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto on her 69th birthday," the premier said in a post on his official Twitter handle.

PM Shehbaz, who is also the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), further said that democracy was "poorer" without the PPP leader, saying the void "left by her martyrdom will never be filled".

He recalled that the former prime minister fearlessly and staunchly advocated the causes she believed in. "May Allah rest her soul in peace."

Meanwhile, to commemorate the event, the PPP is set to hold a major gathering at Peoples Stadium, apparently ignoring the top electoral authority's directives in this regard.

In a letter last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Larkana office had advised the PPP against holding a public gathering in the area, terming it a violation of the electoral code of conduct.

The authority had also warned the party that failure to comply with the directives may lead to legal action against the party and party leadership under Elections Act-2017.

It had also penned a letter to the Larkana deputy commissioner, asking him to stop forthwith any attempt to organise the gathering.