LARKANA: The main event of 36th death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founder of PPP, earlier planned to be held at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto, will now be held at the former camp office of President House in Naudero on Saturday.

The programme has been rescheduled because of inclement weather, said Jamil Soomro, spokesman for Bilawal House, here on Friday.

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Talking to Dawn, he said only parliamentarians and office-bearers of the PPP from Larkana, Sukkur and Nawabshah divisions would participate in the event.

Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP co-chairman, will address the event. The spokesman was unsure about giving the media access to the venue. He said the venue had been changed because the parking area had been badly affected by heavy rains over the past two days.

Mr Zardari will arrive here on Saturday. Party sources said the programme was relocated after the issue of weather was discussed at a meeting in Naudero. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, MNA Faryal Talpur and others attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, a programme set by PPP-Shaheed Bhutto would remain unchanged, the party’s sources said. PPP-SB chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto and other leaders will address a public meeting in the morning.

On Friday, Dr Safdar Abbasi, president of PPP-Workers, visited the Bhutto family’s mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto along with former MPA Haji Munawar Ali Abbasi, Naheed Khan, Sajjid Mir and other leaders in a big caravan of cars. They laid floral wreaths on the grave of Bhutto and offered Fateha.

Although the key event has been restricted, strict security arrangements have been made.

Continuous rains in Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts have drastically affected the routine life and long spells of power breakdown have worsened the situation.

The heavy downpour which hit Naudero and Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto made it almost impossible for the organisers to hold the public meeting. The rains dismantled the tents and disturbed the arrangements.

The streets of Naudero were flooded with rainwater with poor arrangements for drainage. Abundance of mosquitoes compounded the hardship of the people amidst power supply failure.

According to APP, the Sindh government has declared a public holiday on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2015

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