RAWALPINDI, Dec 16: Over 500 dissident workers of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) here on Sunday launched Bhutto Shaheed Benazir Workers Movement.

The workers asked the party leadership to expose the killers of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and restore the PPP’s identity of a progressive party.

The movement was launched under the leadership of Naheed Khan, Ms Bhutto’s close aide and political secretary, and her spouse Senator Dr Safdar Abbasi.

Prominent among those who attended the event at a local hotel were PPP MNA from Quetta Agha Nasir Ali Shah, former Senator Sardar Saleem, Gen (retired) Ahsan Ahmed and Chaudhry Abdul Qayyum.

The workers reached the venue before the scheduled time and chanted slogans like BB Hum Sharminda Hain Teray Qatil Zinda Hain, Jiye Bhutto, Jiye Benazir and Kal Bi Bhutto Zinda Tha Aaj bi Bhutto Zinda Hai.

During the convention, the workers criticised the attitude of party ministers and alleged that they had turned a blind eye to the assassination case of Ms Bhutto as well as the problems of the party activists.

They said the Bhuttos had sacrificed their lives for bringing changes in the socio-economic conditions of the people and development of the country but now the ministers and party leaders were even avoiding meeting the workers.

Naheed Khan was elected central coordinator of the movement.

For the last five years, both the leaders have tried to highlight the ‘weaknesses’ in the leadership. However, before the general elections the formation of the group raised many eyebrows.

After the convention, when Dawn asked Ms Khan about the objectives of the group, she said it was not a new group of the PPP.

She said she along with her husband had adopted a new way to unite the party workers to highlight the weaknesses of the party leadership.

“This is not a separate group but a movement of the PPP workers to bring the party to its original path and restore its identity,” she said.

Ms Khan said the PPP leadership had failed to expose Ms Bhutto’s killers and the conspiracy behind her assassination despite the passage of five years. Senator Dr Safdar Abbasi told Dawn that there was a dire need to unite the workers who sacrificed their time, money and life for the party.

“We are not launching any candidate from any part of the country under the banner of the movement because it is not a fraction or party but a movement to teach political workers how to put things in order,” he said.

On the other hand, PPP City president Aamir Fida Paracha termed the move a political stunt to gain political favour. He said PPP workers would remain silent if they disagreed with their leadership. Those who attended the gathering today were not PPP workers, he added.