Zardari, Bilawal reaffirm commitment to Benazir Bhutto's vision on death anniversary

• President vows to continue Benazir Bhutto's democratic, inclusive vision.
• Bilawal says his mother's sacrifice sealed democracy’s survival in Pakistan.
• Sindh govt declares December 27 public holiday across the province.
  

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), along with its workers and supporters nationwide, is commemorating the 18th death anniversary of slain leader Benazir Bhutto today (Saturday) with deep reverence.

The central commemorative gathering will take place in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, the ancestral town and burial site of the Bhutto family.

President Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, First Lady and MNA Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, and senior party leaders from the centre and provinces are expected to address the gathering.

Former prime minister Benazir was assassinated during a public gathering at Rawalpindi's Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007.

The Sindh government had announced a public holiday on December 27, as according to a notification issued by the Services, General Administration and Coordination Department, all offices, autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies, corporations, and local councils falling under the control of the provincial government are closed today.

Meanwhile, in their messages, President Zardari and Bilawal paid rich tribute to the slain leader and vowed to carry forward her vision of a democratic, inclusive, tolerant, pluralist, and forward-looking Pakistan.

“Today, the world in general and Pakistanis in particular remember Shaheed-e-Jamhooriat, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. We honour a leader whose life and sacrifice are inseparable from Pakistan’s democratic journey,“ President Zaradi added.

He said Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was the first woman prime minister of the Islamic world, elected twice by the people of Pakistan. He said in a political landscape shaped by exclusion, patriarchy, longer authoritarian rule, and repeated disruptions of democratic order, she stood like a rock for the supremacy of the Constitution, authority of the parliament, and the people’s right to choose their representatives."

Her repeated return to electoral politics reflected an unshakeable faith in peaceful political struggle and unadulterated democracy.” President Zardari said Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto gave voice to the voiceless; she pulled farmers, workers, and low-income families like a super magnet towards her, who remained at the centre of her politics.

In a separate statement, Bilawal said that the Daughter of the East's life was a rare fusion of courage and compassion, and that her supreme sacrifice was a pledge written in blood that democracy in Pakistan would never surrender.

"December 27 is a day of collective mourning, reflection and renewed commitment. "Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was not just a leader; she was the fearless voice of democracy, the hope of the oppressed and an unyielding symbol of resistance against dictatorship, extremism and intolerance," he said.

A day earlier,  Aseefa visited Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto and paid her respects at the mausoleum of Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

She also laid a floral wreath at the graves of Benazir Bhutto, ZA Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Mir Shahnawaz Bhutto. Aseefa also offered prayers for public prosperity and national security.