LARKANA, April 4: The 29th death anniversary of the founder of the Pakistan People’s Party, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was observed across the country on Friday with fervour and solemnity.

The PPP and its factions — PPP-SB and PPP-Patriots — held Quran khawani and fateha events separately. The main event was held in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani offered fateha and laid floral wreaths on the graves of Z.A. Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

During a brief chat with journalists, he said he and his cabinet would try to complete the mission of Z.A. Bhutto and his daughter. He said with the completion of their mission, Pakistan would emerge as a peaceful, progressive and great country.

The prime minister later went to the graves of 20 people killed in the Oct 18 bomb blasts in Ms Bhutto’s homecoming procession in Karsaz and offered fateha.

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Sindh chief minister-designate Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Naheed Khan, Dr Safdar Ali Abbasi, Mian Raza Rabbani, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, PPP (SB) chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto, PPP’s AJK president, senators, MNAs, MPAs, PPP’s central and provincial leaders and a large numbers of workers and supporters also visited Mr Bhutto’s grave.

They also visited the graves of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and her brothers, Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Mir Shahnawaz Bhutto, and laid floral wreaths and offered fateha. They chanted slogans like ‘Jeay Bhutto sada jeay’ and ‘Zinda hay bibi zinda hay’ at the mausoleum.

Addressing a public meeting held in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Pakistan People’s Party (SB) chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto said that people were still hostage to feudal lords and efforts were needed to jolt them out of their apathy.

“We want to bring people’s revolution and will not sit idle till the system is changed and goals are achieved.”

She alleged that Asif Ali Zardari and his friends had captured the PPP, which was now devoid of the spirit of Z.A. Bhutto. She said Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani was a member of Gen Ziaul Haq’s Majlis-i-Shoora when Z.A. Bhutto was hanged. Ms Ghinwa praised the loyalty of Makhdoom Amin Fahim to the PPP.

RESOLUTIONS: The meeting adopted 13 resolutions calling for the release of Dr A.Q. Khan, Akhtar Mengal and other political workers. It called for reopening of the Z.A. Bhutto case and probe into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Akbar Bugti and Mir Balach Marri by judges of the superior courts.