RAWALPINDI: Like last year, the Jinnah Park administration on Tuesday tried to stop the media from covering the death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto at the old Rawalpindi Central Jail, now Jinnah Park.

When print and electronic media was not allowed into the park, PPP Rawalpindi Chapter President Babar Jadoon said the PPP will hold the function on the main road if the garrison authorities did not let the media in.

PPP workers group leader Ibne Rizvi, the party’s office bearers and some participants came out on the road and started delivering their speeches outside the park. The park administration then allowed the media to cover the event.

Jinnah Park was established by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in memory of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1996 and was named Bhutto Park.

It is located where the old Central Jail of Rawalpindi was and the cell where the first directly elected prime minister was held and the place where he was hanged on April 4, 1979 were preserved.

The name of the park was changed to Jinnah Park during Nawaz Sharif’s second government and the cell where Bhutto was held and the site where he was hanged were razed during the tenure of former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf. The park was handed over to garrison authorities.

“The PPP obtained permission to hold an event for observing the death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto a day before but strangely, the media was not allowed into the park,” said PPP City President Babar Jadoon.

Party leadership started delivering speeches on the road when media was not allowed inside

He said the park administration had told the party officials to obtain permission for the media from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

However, the ISPR said they had nothing to do with the matter as they do not run the affairs of parks.

“We decided to hold the function on the main roads in protest but the park administration then decided to allow the media in,” he said.

Mr Jadoon added that the PPP will be filing a petition with the Lahore High Court seeking the reconstruction of the cell where Bhutto was held and the room he was hanged in and that a team of lawyers has been formed in this regard.

A large number of PPP workers and supporters attended the event despite the heavy rains and the enthusiasm of PPP jiyalas, or workers, was seen after many years. Local leaders and workers attended a main event for the first time after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, despite the groupings in the party.

The PPP city chapter did not bring a picture of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the PPP Workers Group of Naheed Khan provided a picture to put on display. Workers visited the site where Bhutto was hanged and laid flower wreaths.

Workers and supporters held party flags, pictures of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir, placards and banners and chanted slogans.

Former federal minister Nazar Gondal, divisional president Murtaza Satti, city president Babar Jadoon, PPP City spokesperson Nasir Mir, former city president Amir Fida Paracha, Shujaat Haider and others spoke at the event. They spoke about Bhutto’s efforts for uplifting Pakistan. They paid tribute to Benazir Bhutto for sacrificing her life for securing the rights of the people of Pakistan and strengthening the democratic system in the country. They said she had fought for the provision of basic facilities to the poor under her party manifesto including the provision of employment, education, energy and the improvement of the economy.

Led by Ibne Rizvi Mazhar Hussein, a PPP workers group known as the Naheed Khan Group established a separate camp at the park for offering prayers for the slain founder of the party.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Hussein said they had come to the park for Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and have nothing to do with the present party leadership, which has destroyed the party and is ignoring workers. He said it was tradition for party workers to gather here every April 4 without an invitation and only out of love for Bhutto.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2017