| GEO Pakistan | | ZAB’s 30th death anniversary today | Updated at: 0710 PST, Saturday, April 04, 2009
 ISLAMABAD: The 30th death anniversary of the founder chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto will be observed across the country on Saturday (today). General Zia, who had unconstitutionally taken over the rule, had removed the elected prime minister ZA Bhutto and hanged him on April 4, 1979.
The main ceremony is scheduled to be held at midnight at Garhi Khuda Bukhsh, the final resting place of Quaid-e-Awam, who preferred to sacrifice his life for the cause of democracy instead of bowing down before a dictator.
Hundreds of thousands activists of the PPP, including senior party leaders, have started reaching Naudero and Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto. Thousands of people could be seen standing in queues to visit the final rest place of Shaheed Bhutto and his martyred daughter Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, and sons Shaheed Shahnawaz and Murtaza Bhutto.
The Sindh government has deployed 6,000 cops and officers to maintain security, a provincial government official said, adding scanners were installed at the entry point while body search was also being conducted and sniffer dogs were also being used.
The organising committee of the ceremony has set up camps for accommodation and reception of workers and leaders coming in from all the provinces, the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir.
Pakistan Railways operated special trains from Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta, to facilitate the people for reaching Garhi Khuda Bukhsh. The streets of Garhi Khuda Bakhsh have been decorated with tricolour flags and banners of the Pakistan People’s Party.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, members of the federal cabinet, speaker and the deputy speaker of the National Assembly and senior leadership of the PPP will visit the mausoleum, offer Fateha and pay homage to the great leader.
A meeting of the party’s central executive committee and federal council will be held in Naudero in the evening, which President Asif Ali Zardari will preside as co-chairman of the PPP. It will be attended by all the CEC, FC members, MNAs and senators.
In Islamabad, a function has been arranged at the central secretariat of the party to observe the anniversary. It will start with Qur’aan Khwani and prominent PPP leaders will address the session.
The People’s Party (Shaheed Bhutto) has also made arrangements for observing the anniversary, said a party spokesman.
Geo news correspondent from Garhi Khuda Bakhsh added, “The anniversary programmes started late on Friday night will continue till Saturday evening. Pakistan People’s Party (SB) Chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto will also address a public meeting early on Saturday. The caravans of PPP workers and leaders started arriving here from interior Sindh, the Punjab, the NWFP, Balochistan and Azad Kashmir. All party workers and leaders will observe two-minute silence at 2.05 am at the public meeting.” |  |
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