LARKANA: The shanty town of Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto is set
to host a huge annual gathering on Wednesday as thousands of admirers
of Benazir Bhutto -- the charismatic politician who has the honour of
being the first woman prime minister of Pakistan -- have already
thronged the venue of her 10th death anniversary programme next to the
Bhuttos’ mausoleum and thousands more are on their way to join them.
Her
spouse and former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and other
family members, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal
Bhutto-Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari are
present in Naudero. They will proceed to the venue a little before the
formal start of the programme on Wednesday.
The day at
the shanty town will dawn with a Quran Khwani which will be followed by a
mushaira, organised by the PPP culture wing. A number of poets from
across the country will pay poetic homage to Benazir Bhutto in a segment
which will begin at around 2pm.
The top PPP leaders and
their senior colleagues will deliver speeches before the programme will
come to an end with a langar (free food).
The Peoples
Doctors Forum (PDF) has undertaken to set up a medical camp near
mausoleum to provide emergency medical assistance to people on the day.
Security arrangements
PPP has set up reception camps at various places in Larkana
to receive and guide the participants proceeding to Garhi Khuda Bukhsh
Bhutto from different routes.
Stringent security has
been ensured for the VVIPs, VIPs and other participants, according to
Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal, who chaired a high level meeting
meeting of security agencies’ senior officers here on Tuesday to review
the arrangements.
Top PPP leadership, thousands of mourners arrive in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto
“Although, there is no specific threat, foolproof security
has been ensured ... around 7,000 police personnel, along with a force
of traffic policemen, would be deployed at the venue and along all
routes leading to it,” he said, adding that a formal request for
Rangers’ back up support was not yet made but they could be called if
need be.
This time around, the PPP leadership is putting
in every effort to demonstrate the party’s strength at the mausoleum
considering the general elections expected to be held next year. The
leadership is telling all its opponents that the PPP still rules
peoples’ hearts.
Mobilisation
Bialwal Bhutto-Zardari had been speaking to party workers in
Sindh over hologram for a couple of weeks calling upon them to attend
the event in large numbers.
PPP Sindh president Nisar
Ahmed Khuhro has also extensively toured the province and addressed many
public meetings and press conferences mobilise party activists, workers
and supporters.
The party’s district chapters have
been told to ensure proper transportation of participants the venue of
the programme in coordination with local government representatives of
their respective areas.
The party’s divisional and
district chapters held a series of meetings in connection with the death
anniversary programme.Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and his
predecessor Syed Qaim Ali Shah visited the mausoleum on Tuesday to
review the arrangements.
As the chief minister arrived
at the mausoleum, the estranged PPP stalwarts and close aides to Benazir
Bhutto, Dr Safdar Abbasi and Naheed Khan, were present there. Some
activists raised slogans when the leaders came across but no scene was
created and Dr Abbasi shook hands with the CM.
Dr Abbasi, who heads PPP’s breakaway faction titled PPP-Workers, briefly spoke to media personnel.
He
described Benazir Bhutto as “a leader of international stature” and
said she stood committed to democracy. “Despite all odds, she fought
fearlessly against dictators,” he said, adding that her death had
created a vacuum in politics in Pakistan.
He and Naheed Khan observed that after Benazir Bhutto’s death, the PPP lost its federal colour.
