LARKANA: The stage is set to observe the 39th death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto — founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party, architect of the 1973 Constitution and former prime minister who was executed in 1979 — at Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto on Wednesday for which extensive security measures have been made.

Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwer Siyal chaired a meeting at DIG office here on Tuesday and reviewed the security arrangements, sources said.

Additional Inspector General Police Aftab Pathan, DIG Larkana Abdullah Shaikh, DIG traffic, 19 SSPs, ASPs and DSPs who had been assigned security duties attended the meeting.

Mr Siyal said that as such there was no security threat, but in the wake of Quetta incident, tight security measures had been taken.

A Pakistan Peoples Party Shaheed Bhutto (PPP-SB) meeting will start around 10am and conclude at 3pm, the sources said.

The PPP public meeting would start later on, where according to president of the PPP Sindh chapter Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and president of the PPP Parliamentarian Asif Ali Zardari and other top leaders would speak to the participants.

To welcome party workers, reception camps have been set up in Larkana city and on the route to the venue on different roads leading to Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto.

Tents have been pitched to house party workers in the camps of their districts to protect them from the scorching sun, where food will be distributed while keeping

in view the rising temperature, arrangements for the availability of cold drinking water have also been made.

The top PPP leaders, including Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Asif Zardari along with Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari arrived at Naudero House on Tuesday to participate in the event.

Meanwhile Ghinwa Bhutto, the chairperson of PPP-SB, arrived at Al-Murtaza

House on Tuesday. She arrived at the Sukkur airport, where PPP-SB president Ali Ahmed Palipoto and others received her.

She was taken to Larkana in a procession. She would address a condolence meeting and talk about country’s prevailing conditions, said a press release issued by the PPP-SB.

Caravans from all over the country began pouring into Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto.

A group of six PPP workers hailing from Rajanpur and Vehari districts of Punjab reached Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto on bicycles on Tuesday evening. Braving scorching heat, the bicyclists filled with the enthusiasm to participate in the gathering arrived at the shanty village where party workers welcomed them and saluted their courage and commitment to the party.

Police sources said that to cover the entire event some 6,900 policemen along with 600 commandos, 300 women police and 700 traffic police personnel would be deployed on the day.

It was decided not to allow parking on any road as five different vast parking areas have been established around the main venue.

Some 200 Rangers would also be deployed on different points, while the mazar committee which met at the mausoleum on Monday night decided to have aerial monitoring of the event. Some 200 closed-circuit television cameras have also been installed on the ground to monitor the event.

The participants would be allowed after necessary frisking to enter the pandal for which 70 walk-through gates would be installed to scan the people, police sources said.

En route to the venue some 68 police posts were set up on different roads while around 19 senior superintendent of police, 10 ASPs, 87 DSPs and other police personnel would be there to monitor the security measures.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah arrived at Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto on Tuesday evening and after offering fateha at the Bhuttos’ graves reviewed the arrangements at the venue.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2018