LAHORE, Oct 23: Leaders of political parties have expressed grief and sorrow over the death of Begum Nusrat Bhutto, the wife of former prime minister and PPP founder chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and mother of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Mrs Bhutto was under treatment at Dubai where she died at a protracted illness. She was 82.

Punjab Governor Latif Khosa said Begum Bhutto had infused a spirit in the struggle for restoration of democracy.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said Mrs Bhutto greatly served her family and party.

PML-N president Nawaz Sharif said she was a great lady and that her death caused a great loss to the Bhutto family as well as the PPP.

PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in their joint messages said that she was a brave lady who played an important role in national politics.

Jamaat-i-lslami chief Syed Munawar Hasan and general-secretary Liaquat Baloch prayed that may Allah rest her soul in eternal peace.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan said she did face enormous tragedies and bravely combated all the troubles that came her way.

MQM Coordination Committee member Iftikhar Randhawa called it a great loss for the PPP.

In their condolence messages, ANP secretary-general Ehsan Wyne, APML leader Fawad Chaudhry, PML-Likeminded secretary-general Humayun Akhtar Khan also expressed their grief and sorrow and paid tribute to Mrs Bhutto’s courage.

PPP general-secretary Jehangir Badr said her demise had rendered the party hapless in the world. He said that PPP workers lost their shelter.

President Zardari’s coordinator for Punjab Naveed Chaudhry said she was the mother of democracy who assembled all political players, who had even played a role in the ‘judicial murder’ of Bhutto, on the platform of MRD for restoration of democracy.

He recalled that she led the party during the most troubled times when the PPP was the target of army ruler General Ziaul Haq.

In a joint press statement, Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Raja Riaz Ahmad, PPP Punjab president Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Samiullah Khan, Aurangzeb Burki, Dr Hasnat Shah, Dr Fakharuddin, Nusrat Bhutto former political adviser Fakhar Zaman and other PPP leaders said that sacrifices and efforts of the late Begum Bhutto for democracy would be remembered.

They said that she faced dictatorship with courage which was a great chapter in the history of democracy.