The 98th birth anniversary of former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was observed today with reverence across the country, led by PPP District and City Larkana.
Special prayers and Fateha were offered at Bhutto’s mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, where Quran recitation and floral wreath-laying marked the start of the commemorations. PPP District President and MNA Khurshid Ahmed Junejo, General Secretary Ijaz Ahmed Leghari, and other party leaders participated. An eye camp and hospital visit is scheduled for January 5 at 10:30am.
PPP workers held functions in major and small cities nationwide, where leaders highlighted Bhutto’s political vision, democratic struggle, and legacy. Cakes were cut to mark the birthday of the party’s founding father.
Born on January 5, 1928, in Larkana, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was educated at Berkeley and Oxford and trained as a barrister at Lincoln’s Inn. He founded the PPP in 1967, served as Pakistan’s fourth president (1971–73), and later as prime minister after the 1973 Constitution.
Following the disputed 1977 elections, General Ziaul Haq imposed martial law and Bhutto was later executed on April 4, 1979, after a controversial trial.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said Bhutto’s execution “ended popular politics in Pakistan,” noting that the Supreme Court, in a later presidential reference, declared the judicial process against Bhutto to be unjust.
PPP leaders reiterated that Bhutto’s legacy of democracy, constitutionalism, and people’s rights continues to guide the party today.
President Asif Ali Zardari’s Message:
President Asif Ali Zardari has paid homage to Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on the occasion of his ninety-eighth birth anniversary today.
In a message, the President said Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a towering statesman whose life and leadership profoundly shaped the destiny of the country.
He said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto founded the Pakistan People’s Party with a vision of justice, equality and empowerment for all citizens.
The President reaffirmed the resolve to carry forward Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s vision of a just, democratic and forward-looking Pakistan.
