RAWALPINDI, April 4: Local workers and activists of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) on Wednesday scuffled with the police when they were stopped from holding a ceremony at the newly-built Jinnah Park in connection with the death anniversary of party’s founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The brawl took place when the police did not allow some six to seven dozens PPP activists, who had reached there to offer Fateha for the late Bhutto, to enter the park and started pushing some of the women activists and closed the main gate of the park built at the site of the old central jail where Mr Bhutto was hanged 28 years ago.

However, no one was injured due to timely interference of some senior police officials. Taking advantage of the situation, few party activists including PPP women wing president Nargis Faiz Malik and Satellite Town Union Council Nazim Imran Hayat managed to jump into the park.

They returned after sprinkling flower petals at the place where late Bhutto spent the last days of his life in the death cell.

Later, the PPP activists dispersed peacefully after offering Fateha outside the park.

Talking to Dawn, Ms Malik and Mr Hayat said they had gone to the park only to offer Fateha which had been a regular feature of the party for many years. However, they said, the police did not allow them to perform the ceremony and stopped them forcefully.

The PPP leaders accused the police officials of manhandling women activists and demanded action against the responsible. They regretted that the police had stopped them from offering Fateha for a man who had rendered numerous services for the country.

The PPP activists and leaders who were present included Mohammad Ali Agha, Malik Mazhar, Shakil Abbasi, Chaudhry Banaras, Azhar Ladi, Sardar Salim, Ismat Jabeen, Abida Bashir, Hanifa Anwar, Akhtar Bibi, Sidra Shakil, Gulzari Begum, Zeenat Bibi, Zarina Begum, Surriya Zia, Shahnaz Durrani, Hina Iqbal, Khairun Nissa and others.

Earlier, the party held Quran Khwani for the late Bhutto at the party’s central secretariat in Islamabad. Prominent among those present on the occasion were MNAs Nayyar Bukhari, Rukhsana Bangash and Fauzia Habib, Senator Enver Baig, MPAs Azra Bano, Sabiha Syed and Nishat Afza, Dr Israr Shah, Saima Khar and Uzma Jahangir.