KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that May 12, 2007 will forever be remembered as a black day in the national history.

In a statement issued on Sunday, he said that it was the day when the sanctity of human life was violated and democratic ideals were trampled underfoot in broad daylight in Karachi.

Paying tribute to PPP workers killed during the struggle for judicial independence on that day, he said the blood spilled on the streets of Karachi was not in vain — it became a powerful symbol of resistance against tyranny and a solemn reminder that democracy in Pakistan has been nurtured through great sacrifice.

He added that the people of Karachi, especially lawyers, political workers, and members of civil society, paid an unbearable price for their courage and commitment to constitutional values.

“Dozens of innocent lives were brutally taken, and hundreds injured, simply for standing on the right side of history — with the Constitution, the judiciary, and democracy,” he said.

He stressed that if Pakistan is to move forward, it must ensure such tragedies are never repeated or erased from collective memory.

“We have not forgotten, nor has the nation. Even our future generations will continue to condemn the perpetrators of that horrific day,” he vowed.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2025