July 05, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 1, 1429

LAHORE, July 4: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will observe a black day throughout the country on Saturday (today) to condemn the toppling of prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government by Gen Ziaul Haq 31 years ago.

Gen Zia overthrew the Bhutto government on July 5, 1977, and troops arrested members of his cabinet.

On Saturday, PPP workers and leaders will wear black armbands and organise rallies and seminars to express resentment against the dismissal of “a democratically-elected government” of their party and the party leaders’ ‘persecution’ by the late military dictator.

Announcing programme for the black day in Punjab, PPP Media Adviser Iqbal Sialvi said his party would organise seminars and rallies in Islamabad and all district headquarters of the province.

PPP Punjab Secretary-General Ghulam Abbas said in a statement the rallies and seminars to be organised at the party’s provincial secretariat and the Lahore Press Club would pay a tribute to workers who faced excesses of Zia.