Under Zardari, Bilawal leadership, we’ll foil conspiracies: Murad

KARACHI: The Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the leader of the poor, downtrodden and oppressed people and with his vision and wisdom he made Pakistan a nuclear state.

This he said on Saturday while addressing a gathering of the PPP parliamentarians to celebrate 91th birth anniversary of Shaheed Zulfukar Ali Bhutto here at the CM House. The gathering was also attended by the former and sitting ministers, MPAs, advisors and special assistants to the chief minister.

Addressing the event, Murad vowed to foil all conspiracies under the leadership of Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He said Shaheed Bhutto was a brave and courageous leader of Pakistan. He founded the Pakistan People's Party to make this country a democratic state in which the class system which had eaten into the vitals of this country could be eliminated. “He gave voice to the voiceless and courage to the suppressed".

“Though there was no powerful media in those days even then Shaheed Bhutto brought his party's message to each and every person living in small and big cities and in the far-flung areas,” he said and added Bhutto believed that without the participation of the people of Pakistan in the national decisions, true national development could not be achieved. Shah said when Shaheed Bhutto had taken over the country it had been dismembered.

“The people of the present Pakistan were demoralized, our 99,000 people were captured by India and India had also illegally occupied our territory in Thar,” he recalled and added Shaheed Bhutto not only inculcated confidence in the nation but with his statesmanship liberated the captured people and also vacated the land of Thar from India where coal is being excavated these days.

Murad Ali Shah said it is the vision of Shaheed Bhutto that he created a secular political force in the shape of PPP which was further strengthened and made vibrant by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. “The message of Shaheed Bhutto’s birth anniversary for party workers is that we should work for strengthening of democracy in Pakistan, render services for the poor people and respect humanity irrespective of religion, cast and creed,” he said.

Later, Surah-e Fateha and Dua’ was offered for Shaheed Bhutto and in a ceremony a cake was also cut to celebrate the birth anniversary of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. After the programme at the CM House, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah along with Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, Advisor Murtaza Wahab, special Assistants Rashid Rabbani and Waqar Mehdi went to the City Courts and attended a birth anniversary programme by the People's Lawyer’s Forum. Addressing the lawyers, the chief minister said Bhutto used to say that there are two Bhuttos: "the one living in his body and soul and the other one was infused in each and every individual living in Pakistan." “Today Shaheed Bhutto is no more in this world but he survived by each and every Pakistani living in this beautiful country,” he said.

He said his Quaid Shaheed Bhutto and his father Syed Abdullah Shah were practicing lawyers, therefore he has special regard and consideration for the lawyers community and he would solve their problems on priority basis. Shah said the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto always appreciated the lawyers’ struggle for the restoration of democracy. “I am quite happy to see the lawyers in a large number attending the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhutto this shows that he is survived by all of you,” he concluded.