Transitions: Two soyems held for Begum Bhutto’s soul

Thousands attended Quran Khawanis and fatehas at Naudero House and Al-Murtaza House.

SUKKUR: As with the rest of her funeral rites, two separate soyems were held for Begum Nusrat Bhutto - one at Naudero House and the other at Al-Murtaza House - on Wednesday afternoon.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sardar Aamir Bhutto, federal and Sindh ministers, parliamentarians and party leaders attended the soyem held at the president’s camp office in Naudero. Security inside and around the venue was stringent. There was a meal after the Quran Khawani and prayers. Meanwhile, thousands of workers were reportedly standing outside Naudero House but were not allowed inside.

Separately at Al-Murtaza House in Larkana, thousands of people gathered for a Quran Khawani, fateha and food. Veteran politicians Ghulam Mustafa Khar, former national assembly speaker Illahi Bux Soomro, Sindh National Front chairman Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, former federal minister Liaquat Jatoi and others attended this soyem and expressed condolences with Ghinwa Bhutto, Zulfiqar Bhutto Junior and Fatima Bhutto.

At the Bhutto family mausoleum at Garhi Khuda Bux, meanwhile, a third Quran Khawani and meal was arranged where a large number of party leaders and workers had gathered. Again, there was a number of party workers waiting outside, hoping to visit Nusrat Bhutto’s grave, but were not allowed inside because of security concerns. In fact, the frequent coming and going of high-level officials since Nusrat Bhutto’s burial has meant that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PPP-Shaheed Bhutto workers and other visitors are not being allowed to enter the mausoleum.

Speaking at the fateha at Garhi Khuda Bux, home minister Manzoor Wassan said that Begum Nusrat Bhutto’s services for democracy and the people will be remembered forever. “Every member of the PPP is a Bhutto and I am also a Bhutto,” he declared.

Meanwhile, at the Sukkur airport, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Aitzaz Ahsan, said that he was still and would remain with the party. He claimed that both Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Zulfiqar Mirza are also part of the party despite individual differences.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2011.