LAHORE: PPP Central Punjab President Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and other leaders of the party on Friday attended the Chehlum of party activist Farkhanda Bokhari, the widow of late poet and educationist Shohrat Bokhari.

PPP provincial minister from Sindh Syeda Shehla Raza, former governor Sardar Latif Khosa and Pakistan Bar Council member Abid Saqi were among the other attendees.

Qasim Gillani and Musa Gillani represented their father, the former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani, who could not reach Lahore due to bad health.

The PPP leaders paid tributes to Farkhanda Bokhari and remembered her political struggle against the dictatorship in support of democracy.

Pervaiz Ashraf also shared the tribute for the late party activist on behalf of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

Ms Bokhari was a political activist of the PPP who faced brutal state torture during dictatorial regime of Gen Zia from 1978 till her release in 1981 from torture cell of the Attock Fort. She was also exiled against her will when she was forced to board a plane handcuffed along with other 53 male political prisoners. She passed away on Oct 23.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2021