LARKANA, Dec 29: Major opposition leaders visited Naudero on Saturday and offered their condolences to the bereaved family of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto while ordinary people and party workers continued to pour into the town to pay homage to their leader.

Visitors included PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, former president Mohammed Rafique Tarar, PML-N’s Raja Zaffarul Haq, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, Ahsan Iqbal, Illahi Bakhsh Soomro, Imdad Chloyani, Siddiqul Farooque, Ishaque Dar and convener of the All Parties Democratic Movement Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

Awami National Party’s Asfandyar Wali Khan, Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Former speaker of the National Assembly Fakhar Imam, Begum Abida Hussain, Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch, Rasool Bakhsh Palijo, Dr Qadir Magsi, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Yusuf Raza Gillani, Qasim Zia, Kamal Azfar also visited the town to condole Benazir’s death.The atmosphere at the Naudero House was emotionally-charged and at the same time gloomy, and people continually burst into tears. Workers of the Pakistan People’s Party kept shouting ‘Zindah Hai Bhutto, Zindah Hai’ (She lives, Bhutto still lives).

The children of the slain PPP leader, along with Sanam Bhutto, Ms Bhutto’s sister, on Saturday visited their mother’s grave, offered fateha and laid floral wreaths.

Mumtaz Ali Bhutto chairman Sindh National Front (SNF) along with his brother Mashooque Ali Bhutto, son Ameer Bakhsh Bhutto and family members came to Naudero House and offered condolence with Sanam Bhutto and later visited Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto. They offered fateha, laid floral wreaths on the grave of Shaheed Ms Benazir Bhutto.

When Mr Sharif and other leaders arrived to offer their condolences, PPP activists were chanting: ‘Ya Allah, Ya Rasool, Benazir Beqasoor’ (O God! O Prophet! Benazir is innocent), and beat their chests saying ‘Ya Hussain Ya Hussain’.

Opposition leaders also visited Garih Khuda Bux Bhutto and laid floral wreaths on the graves of Shaheed Z.A. Bhutto and Ms Bhutto and offered prayers for their souls. Ghinwa Bhutto, chairperson of the PPP (Shaheed Bhutto), also visited the graveyard and offered Fateha for the departed soul and placed floral wreaths on the graves of Z.A. Bhutto, Ms Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Shahnawaz Bhutto.

Chief of the Jamaat Ahle Hadeeth Allama Sajid Mir separately met with Asif Zardari and offered condolences to Mr Zardari.

Mr Zardari in a brief talk with foreign media personnel on Saturday blamed Ms Bhutto’s murder on radical militants. He said that the issue of who would lead the party would be decided in the meeting of the party’s central executive committee to be held on Sunday.

He said after the October 18 blast in Karachi, Ms Bhutto had changed her mind and expressed her wish to be buried in the Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto.