Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab workers are disappointed over their leadership’s decision not to attend Benazir Bhutto’s seventh death anniversary ceremony at Naudero, The Express Tribune has learnt.
“The anniversary of Benazir Bhutto’s martyrdom is one of the most important occasions in the party calendar. She gave her life for the country and kept party workers close to her heart. Last year, Bilawal Bhutto had delivered a moving speech at the ceremony. This year, the party leadership has decided not to attend the main ceremony at Naudero. This has disappointed the PPP workers from the Punjab. A plan to take workers to Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh has also been dropped,” a PPP Punjab leader told The Express Tribune.
“There are only a few occasions when the central leadership and workers from all over the country are gathered at one place. The death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto is one such occasion. The party workers have been told this year that instead of travelling to Naudero, they should recite the Holy Quran and light candles to show solidarity at district level with the martyrs of Peshawar school attack. Rumors are circulating in the party that the decision has been taken because there are serious differences among the top PPP leaders of Punjab, who are trying to keep those under wraps,” a PPP worker, who has been with party for three decades, told The Express Tribune.
“I have been told by a senior leader that chairman Bilawal Bhutto will be participating in the main anniversary ceremony. He will be disappointed to learn that workers from the Punjab are not attending the event,” another PPP Punjab leader said.
PPP Punjab president Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo said that the decision had been taken at a party meeting that the anniversary would be observed at every district of the Punjab. “So the workers as well as leaders will stay in the province. We decided in the meeting that the observance of the martyrdom day will be held at the district level with Quran khawani and prayers. Candlelight vigils will be held for the Peshawar terrorist attack victims. The participants will also express their resolve to fight terrorism,” he said.
“President Asif Ali Zardari will preside over the main ceremony at Ghari Khuda Bux on December 27,” he said.
He said that a function would be held at the PPP Punjab Secretariat in Model Town. “PPP Punjab leadership, office bearers and workers will participate in the event,” he said. He said that a ceremony would also be held at the Liaqat Bagh Rawalpindi.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2014.
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@abdul:
her father was hanged by a dictator and she was assassinated, in front of the whole country. people actually read.
I hv no idea how Benazir died but during her time ruling pakistan, she robbed the Pakistani tax payers of their hard earned income. After her death, her husband deprived Pakistanis of the basic things they promised they will provide namely roti kapra aur makaan. Today hundreds of innocents die in tharparkar from draught and the corrupt ministers from her party keep enriching themselves and building their palaces at their cost. Sindh will never change and will not let pakistan progress as long as peoples party exists. the tax collected from sindh will go straight to Surrey palace and be reserved for the security, upkeep and expenses of Zardaris and their cronies who think sindh is their kingdom.
PPP has yet to learn from it's disstrous reign at helm and continues on the path of self destruction.... It is dead in Punjab, Karachi, KPK and Baluchistan. Majority of it's stalwarts in those areas are ready to jump ship at an appropriate time - purely for self srurvival. Like PTI or not, it's arrival on the scene has really buried the old hagemony of PPP/PML.
PPP is a dead party and has no future in Pakistan politics. It would be better if the masses start following someone else.