16th martyrdom anniversary of Benazir Bhutto today

Karachi: The 16th martyrdom anniversary of former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Shaheed Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto is being observed on Wednesday.

In connection with the day, anniversary proceedings will be held at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto in Larkana on Wednesday (today) followed by a public meeting which will be addressed by PPP Chairman and foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

It will be attended by party workers from across the country to pay homage to their leader who sacrificed her life for the cause of democracy.

The workers and party leaders have started to reach Larkana Naudero and Garhi Khuda Bakhsh to attend the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto.

She has been given the title of ‘Daughter of the East’, whose father was hanged, two brothers were killed, faced the worst dictatorships, suffered exile but did not retreat from the democratic struggle. Bhutto became the first woman Prime Minister of the Islamic world.

Benazir, who is considered by political observers to be the most challenging leader in Pakistan, is also one of the most internationally acclaimed political figures in South Asia.

She was born on June 21, 1953 in Karachi, did her primary education at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Karachi Grammar School, while Harvard and Oxford are the institutions where she received her advanced education in political science and international law.

According to the observers, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founder of PPP, had named Benazir Bhutto as his political successor instead of the two sons, then time proved this decision correct.

When Zia-ul-Haq imposed martial law in the country, Benazir Bhutto stayed abroad and continued to struggle for democracy. She returned to Pakistan in April 1986 and received an unprecedented welcome from the people. Benazir Bhutto became the first woman Prime Minister of the Muslim world after the victory of the PPP in the 1988 elections, but her government was terminated after 18 months.

In November 1993, Benazir Bhutto was elected as the Prime Minister of the country for the second time, however in 1996, the nominated President of the Peoples Party ended the government.

After the alleged reprisals, Benazir Bhutto went into exile, then in 2007 she announced her return to Pakistan and despite the threat to her life, she arrived in Karachi on October 18, 2007, when her welcome procession was bombed in which hundreds of people were killed and injured.

Benazir Bhutto held rallies in different cities of the country and showed the government the will of the people. During this time, Benazir was repeatedly informed about the dangers, but she could not keep herself away from the people.

On December 27, 2007, while returning from a rally in Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi, she was fatally attacked and this beloved leader of the people tragically left the world.

Benazir Bhutto was laid to rest at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in Larkana alongside her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and brothers Murtaza Bhutto and Shahnawaz Bhutto.

Chairman Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in his message to the nation on the 16th anniversary of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto that the brutal murder of Benazir Bhutto was a nefarious conspiracy. The development of Pakistan was sabotaged through the murder. PPP is determined to make Bhutto's dream a reality.