KARACHI, Oct 8: Chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party Benazir Bhutto phoned senior party leader Aftab Shaban Mirani, a former chief minister of Sindh, to express her heartfelt grief and sorrow over the death of his wife, Safia Aftab Mirani.

Ms Bhutto talked to him and his daughters to offer her condolences, and said the deceased was a brave woman who always stood by her husband, even in the most adverse circumstances.

Ms Safia Aftab was daughter of Khan Bahadur Allah Buksh Soomro, the first chief minister of Sindh. Her soyem was held at the family’s residence in Clifton on Sunday.

The gathering was attended by a large number of leaders including Senate Chairman Mohammed Mian Soomro, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Sindh PPP chief Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, former Sindh governor Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim and former Sindh chief minister Ali Mohammad Mahar; justices Deedar Hussain Shah, Zahid Qurban Alvi and Ghulam Nabi Soomro; former speaker of the National Assembly Illahi Buxsh Soomro and former speaker of the Sindh Assembly Hussain Haroon, Air Marshal Azim Dawoodpota, Admiral Khalid Mir, Zulfikar Ali Jamot, Shafqat Jamot, Irfanullah Marwat, Naheed Khan,

Sherry Rehman, Rashid Rabbani and a large number legislators, party activists and workers.

Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Syed Qasim Zia and former foreign minister Sardar Asif Ahmed flew in to attend the soyem.