KARACHI: The challenges of anarchy, bomb blasts and religious extremism which the nation has been facing at present are the outcome of Gen Ziaul Haq’s martial law that he had enforced on July 5, 1977, said Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sindh chapter coordination committee chief and senior minister Nisar Ahmad Khuhro.

Mr Khuhro was addressing a ‘black day’ public meeting organised at the Peoples Secretariat on Tuesday against the overthrow of the elected government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

He said Gen Zia imposed martial law in the country at the behest of America and got Mr Bhutto arrested and put behind the bar. His cabinet ministers were also arrested and the democracy and democratic system was uprooted from the country, Mr Khuhro added.

The minister said Gen Zia then started patronising religious and militant organisations by establishing a network of madressahs where militants were trained. Religious extremism and the Kalashnikov culture were promoted in the country, he said, adding that the killing of millions of people in the latter years was the result of Gen Zia’s policies.

Mr Khuhro recalled the unmatched struggle and sacrifices of PPP workers against the martial law, restoration of democracy and rule of law and constitution in the country. He said they faced imprisonment, whipping and gallows which restored the democratic system in the country.

He said the PPP would foil every conspiracy in future as well against the democracy.

Speaking on the occasion, Moula Bux Chandio, Rashid Rabbani, Waqar Mehdi, Dr Shahida Rehman, Najme Alam, Habibuddin Junedi, Manzoor Abbas, Latif Mughal and others said that Mr Bhutto was the leader of the masses as he refused to surrender to Gen Zia’s martial law and continued his struggle against oppressive and exploitative system in the country.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2016