OKARA, Dec 29: Rao Sikandar Iqbal, a former defence minister in the PML-Q government and who was once a PPP stalwart before the 2002 general elections, arranged symbolic funeral for former prime minister Benazir Bhutto at his residence on Sahiwal Road which was attended by dozens of his supporters.

PML-Q’s candidate for PP-190 Muhammad Afzal Paiji was also present among the ‘mourners’. Later, they offered fateha for the departed soul of PPP chairperson.

Meanwhile, thousands of PPP workers took out a rally to protest the assassination of Benazir in Liaquat Bagh carnage. PPP district president Muhammad Ashraf Khan Sohna led the demonstrators who marched on all city roads and set tyres ablaze at every main crossing. Later, they threw traffic out of gear in Deepalpur Chowk on GT Road by torching tyres.

The rallying mourners chanted slogans against the government and demanded immediate arrest of the killers after a transparent probe into the gruesome incident. Later, they dispersed after reaching M.C.B Chowk.

All city bazaars and markets remained closed on the second consecutive day. A caravan of PPP workers headed by party’s candidate for NA-144 Arif Chaduhry has left for Larkana.

Meanwhile, the citizen police liaison committee (CPLC) held a condolence reference for Benazir. CPCL members Haji Abdul Hameed, Haji Sattar Mughal, Mehboob Hasan Chishti, Ch. Nadeem, Shahnawaz Chaudhry, Qamar Abbas and Nadeem Abbas Ali attended the reference. In the end, they offered fateh for the departed soul.