ISLAMABAD, Aug 2: Former premier Benazir Bhutto has condemned, what she termed, victimization of PPP workers in Sialkot and dubbed it as violation of human rights.

In Sialkot, more than 40 PPP activists, including MPA Malik Tahir Akhtar, MNA Ch Imtiaz Safdar, and party district president Malik Naseer Ahmed, were subjected to 'state terrorism' when they were booked for paying homage to Asif Ali Zardari on his birthday, Ms Bhutto said.

In a statement issued on Monday, She said the government, violating the right to freedom of speech and the right to peaceful gatherings, registered the case in a bid to stifle the voice of freedom.

The PPP chairperson said the use of police against parliamentarians and citizens for celebrating a birthday showed the culture of intolerance and force that the government was spewing. She said this intolerance on part of the government giving rise to militancy and suicide bombings.

She praised the PPP workers for fighting for an enlightened society with freedom and human rights. She alleged that the government was exploiting the war on terrorism to prolong its rule.

Ms Bhutto called upon the PPP workers and the democratic forces to unite for the restoration of true democracy in the country. "The dignity and self-respect of every citizen and our great country lies in fulfilling the dream of Quaid-i-Azam and Quaid-i- Awam for a democratic, progressive and enlightened Pakistan, free of military rule," she said.

Meanwhile, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the PPP has decided to invite 'pro-people' economists to assist it in creating mass employment and to help the youth secure a better future.

The ECC, set up by Benazir Bhutto to address the issue of economic ruin, reported to the chairperson its deliberations to take the country out of the poverty trap.

PPP leader Naveed Qamar is leading the poverty elimination programme of the party. The party is also addressing the issue of how the working classes can afford reasonable housing.