PESHAWAR, Jan 25: The women's wing of the Pakistan People's Party has demanded that the government should facilitate honourable return of party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto and release her spouse Asif Ali Zardari forthwith.

The demand was made through a resolution adopted unanimously at a provincial workers' convention of the PPP (women's wing) at the Nishtar Hall here on Sunday.

The PPP leaders in their speeches spoke about the party's role in mobilizing womenfolk against the exploitative social system. In his speech PPP's Secretary-General Jehangir Badar said the PPP had given equal status to women in every walk of life during its three terms. He said two women, Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, took over the chairmanship of the party after the death of its founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Mr Badar said even today a woman (Benazir Bhutto) was leading the PPP from abroad and had refused to compromise on principles with the military rulers. Her spouse, Asif Ali Zardari, who had been languishing in prison for the last seven years, had given a new courage to the party, struggling for a true democratic system in the country, he added.