ISLAMABAD, Feb 17 Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday gave formal approval for two sites in Rawalpindi and Islamabad for the construction of Benazir monuments.

Presiding over a meeting of Benazir Monument Commi-ttee, he said one of the monuments would be constructed at the place in Rawalpindi where the PPP leader was killed. It will have Dewar-i-Awam and Bab-i-Benazir. Dewar-i-Awam will have inscriptions of the sayings of Ms Bhutto and tributes paid to her by other dignitaries.

The other site approved for the monument is located at Shakarparian opposite I-8 Sector. This will be a complex in the shape of a building equipped with modern technology. All other facilities like parking lots, green plots, water tanks, tuck shops, artificial ponds, playgrounds and a library will be part of the monument complex.

The sites will be an attraction not only for local residents but also for foreigners visiting Pakistan.

The prime minister urged the committee to rationalise the cost of the project and start work without any further delay.

The government has decided to establish the monuments at a cost of hundreds of millions of rupees to commemorate the political struggle of the slain PPP leader.