LAHORE, Dec 29: Hundreds of people from all walks of life came out to pay their respects to murdered PPP leader Benazir Bhutto at a candlelit vigil organised by PPP workers at the party office in Faisal Town on Saturday.
In addition to a vocal contingent of party activists, members of the public including shopkeepers, workers, students, lawyers, teachers, and others on the occasion lit candles, chanted slogans, and embraced one another in an outpouring of emotion, as dozens of police officials kept a watchful eye.
Muhammed Ashraf, a local shopkeeper, said: “This is the first time I’m going out since her death. We loved her very much, she was a great woman, and I came personally to help hang the banners today.”
Large black flags were draped over the walls and wreaths of flowers were laid on a carpeted area, while candles were patiently lit by party workers and distributed among the thronging crowd of men and women, rich and poor, young and old.
The vigil began at around 5pm and continued well into the evening, bringing together more than 200 often tearful protestors. Despite government denials of complicity in Ms Bhutto’s death, explicitly worded anti-government slogans by the protestors left no doubt as to where they placed the blame.
Other favoured chants included, “Kitne Bhutto maroge, har ghar se Bhutto nikalenge” (How many Bhuttos will you kill, a Bhutto will emerge from every house), “BB ke khoon se Inquilab Ayega” (from BB’s blood the revolution will begin) and the most popular one-liner “Go, Musharraf, Go”.
“I’m here because I’m totally outraged at what has happened. It’s not about being with any party, it’s about being a Pakistani. This is absolutely the last straw, as a person I would like to be counted,” said Saira, a teacher present at the vigil.
Her comments were re-iterated by accounting student Salman and his friend Hamza, who said, “I don’t normally trust politicians or go to protests, but this situation is unacceptable and we have to show our solidarity.”
Bushra Aitzaz, wife of Supreme Court Bar Association detained president Aitzaz Ahsan, spoke of having lost a sister before breaking down into tears, while one PPP worker said: “We want to send out a message to our brothers and sisters in Sindh that we here in Punjab are feeling her loss just as much as you are. We hope that everyone who cares about Pakistan will now unite behind us.”