Remembering Benazir

Workers censure PPP leadership for not building a monument

A handful of Pakistan People’s Party Workers were sitting on the driveway of the rare gate of historic Liaquat Bagh reciting Holy Quran in front of an unimpressive wall fixed with the portrait of ‘Daughter of the East’ Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to mark her 15th martyrdom anniversary.

The wall built on a side of the gate, given the name of the monument built in memory of Benazir Bhutto, was studded with blue tiles which were damaged at various places while the portrait fixed in the wall was also worn out and gave a shabby look.

“Unfortunately, we can’t build a memorial befitting her stature at the place where she laid down her life for the cause of democracy,” Ibn-i-Rizvi commented.

Rizvi, the central leader of Naheed Khan’s PPPW, was critical of the central leadership. “They always cash in on Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s name in the political arena but do nothing to build a monument where she was martyred in a suicide bomb attack,” he said.

A veteran Pakistan People’s Party activist, Mohammad Zaheer regretted the indifference of senior party leaders for not showing any interest in building a monument in memory of the first woman prime minister in the Muslim world.

He regretted that a couple of events were organised by PPPW and PPP Rawalpindi Chapter annually to mark the anniversary on 27th December while for the rest of the year even the place in front of the wall on which her portrait is fixed showed an ugly look with dust and garbage littered around.

Interestingly, the main office of the Pakistan People’s Party Rawalpindi Chapter is a few yards away from the place, but they never bothered to keep the place clean.

The focus of all the activities remains Ghari Khuda Bux, the burial place of Bhuttos. The main event eclipse the rest of the activities arranged in this connection in other parts of the country, a senior PPP leader commented.

During its five-year rule, the PPP government did nothing to build a monument in her memory at the place where she had laid down her life, Ibn-i-Rizvi said adding that they had built the wall and fixed the portrait from their pocket.

Another local PPP leader on condition of anonymity informed Bol News that a whole lot of PPP leaders and activists are disenchanted with the party leadership first for not pursuing the trial of her assassination and secondly for not building a monument at Liaquat Bagh.