Incident’s pain, anguish refreshed

Families of slain workers all set to observe 15th death anniversary of former PM

RAWALPINDI:

Families of 23 Pakistan People’s Party workers who were killed in Liaquat Bagh along with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto 15 years ago on December 27, 2007, remember the tragic incident and the pain and anguish they suffered that day.

On the evening of December 27, 2007, as Benazir left the stage and waved to the crowd of supporters from the sunroof of her car, shots rang out and then immediately followed by a terrifying suicide blast at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi.

The blast left 23 workers including 11 PPP workers from Rawalpindi dead and several others wounded. The PPP workers from Rawalpindi included Raja Habib, Raja Amin, Mumtaz Ahmed, student leader Asif Samar, Ratta Amral’s Jamil Mughal, Naya Muhalla’s Rafique Raza, Malik Javed Iqbal, Amarpura’s Muhammad Shafique, Dhoke Mangtal’s Anwar Khan, Mazharabad’s Siraj Khan and Muhammad Ghous.

Even though they paid the ultimate price for their loyalty to the party and its leaders, their families also remember Benazir fondly with party flags and pictures of other party leaders. The then PPP government had announced to provide the heirs of the slain workers' allotment letters for houses in a private housing society as compensation for their loss, however, the announcement never materialised. The party, however, did render financial assistance to the families including the children of the slain workers.

Despite the little help, the families of all the slain workers are still ideologically affiliated with the PPP with full commitment. Families of these victims have started preparations to commemorate their as well as Benazir’s death anniversary.

The young children who were orphaned on December 27, 2007, are now adults. With financial assistance from the party, these families have improved economically as the orphaned children have also started earning. However, after 15 years, these families are staying in the same houses. Nasir Mir, a long-time leader of the PPP, said that initially the party financially supported the families of the martyrs but over time, it fizzled out.

He said that the party should take responsibility for supporting the families of victim workers so that their families could lead better life. PPP People's Lawyers Forum leader Saeed Yusuf Khan said that though the party cannot pay the right of the families whose loved ones were martyred along with their great leader, the party should do whatever it can for them.

“These martyred workers are the pride and capital of the party,” he said. Meanwhile, the PPP Rawalpindi chapter has finalised arrangements to observe the 15th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27 with a renewed pledge to take forward her lifelong struggle for democracy.