Zardari terms July 5 a day of shame, horror

ISLAMABAD: July 5 is a day of shame and horror in the history of the country as it was on this day 40 years ago when the nation was hijacked by a dictator, said PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari here on Tuesday.

In a message on the 40th anniversary of the takeover of the country by General Ziaul Haq on July 5, 1977, he said it was on this day that the military dictator began decimating state institutions, privatising jehad and enacting black laws against women and non-Muslims in the name of religion.

It was on this day that the nation began its collective descent into anarchy and mayhem -- a descent that still continues in the name of religion. “Unfortunately, the disastrous policy of privatised jehad and exploitation of religion for political ends continues to haunt the nation. The need to clearly understand the disastrous consequences of these policies has never been as great as it is today,” he added.

“Let us on this day vow to reverse these policies fight the mindset of religious extremism and end the privatisation of jehad and sectarianism that the dictator’s polices spawned,” he said. “On this day, we reiterate our resolve that Pakistan will have to be a democratic, pluralistic and a moderate country in which there is no place for religious extremism, militancy and sectarianism,” he said.

“On this day, let us also resolve that dictators and usurpers of people’s rights and freedoms must be punished,” he said and added “they will be”. Asif Zardari paid homage to the martyrs of democracy. “On this day my thoughts also go to those martyrs of democracy who suffered and sacrificed during that black period of our national history.”

According to a PPP statement, the party would observe black day on July 5 (today) the day when Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was ousted through a military coup.