HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party activists observed with traditional fervor the 96th birth anniversary of the party founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in all district headquarters across the province on Friday.

In Hyderabad, PPP Sindh president Senator Nisar Ahmed Khuhro cut cake at the birth anniversary function at district council and later said in his address at the gathering that the passage of a resolution in upper house that day for the postponement of Feb 8 polls was deplorable.

He said that only 14 members were present whereas quorum required presence of at least 25. “The Senate chairman should be ashamed of what has happened in the house,” Khuhro reacted.

He said that polls were not postponed even when the country faced serious issues. The delay in polls meant that peoples’ rights were being denied to them. It was only PPP that wanted elections, neither Nawaz Sharif nor Imran Khan sought polls on time, he said, adding that everyone was trying to avoid elections but the party chairman had announced schedule of his public meetings.

He said that Z.A. Bhutto had extricated the country from crisis and advocated the cause of peasantry. Bhutto never said mujhay kyun nikala, he said. Z.A. Bhutto was the greatest leader after Quaid-i-Azam but his only fault was to talk about masses, he said. He said that Bhutto made it clear that he would not bow even at the cost of his death.

He said that Imran Khan’s comrades left him in the lurch over only a few calls. Similarly, when Nawaz Sharif was sent into exile during Musharraf regime, his workers deserted him, he said.

In Nawabshah, a large number of party workers attended the anniversary programme at Zardari House where a cake was cut by former health minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and PPP women wing leader Ms Qamar Dhamrah.

In Shahdadpur, party leaders Shazia Marri, Abdul Salam Thaheem, Aajiz Dhamrah and others gathered at a local hall to observe the birth anniversary of their leader. A similar function was organised in Naushahro Feroze.

In Umerkot, hundreds of workers attended their leader’s birth anniversary at people’s secretariat where the local party leaders paid tribute to the PPP founder and said he sacrificed his life for democracy.

In Karachi, Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqi cut a cake to mark the birthday anniversary programme at the KMC building. He said in his address at the ceremony that it was high time ideology of the party founder was followed to bring the country out of the present crisis.

Local party leaders and workers arranged several functions across the metropolis at district level where they said that PPP was the only political party that raised its voice for the voiceless. The party’s leaders and workers offered sacrifices for the sake of democracy in the country and always fought against dictatorships, they said.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2024