MULTAN/ MUZAFFARGARH/ BAHAWALPUR - The activists of PPP marked July 5 as black day to condemn toppling of Bhutto regime by the then army chief Ziaul Haq in 1977. The city and district chapters of PPP held separate protests and strongly deplored the dictator. Holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans, they carried out full-throated sloganeering against Ziaul Haq. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, president of PPP Human Rights Wing Punjab Saleemur Rehman Meo said that July 5 would always be commemorated as the blackest day of Pakistans history as a dictator Ziaul Haq staged a coup against democratically elected government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He added that judicial murder of Bhutto was committed by Zia regime on pretext of a fake case. He said that PPP always made struggle to promote democratic norms in the country and launched struggle against dictatorship. He said that even today PPP was doing struggle to strengthen democracy in the country and promote the politics of reconciliation. He said that PPP was committed to take all political powers along and no stone would be left unturned for this purpose. He lamented that anti-democracy elements hatched a series of conspiracies against democracy but PPP workers would prove an iron wall in their way. He said that the PPP activists would not flinch from offering any sacrifice for the sake of democracy. Earlier, speaking at another function, Senator Malik Salahuddin Dogar, MPAs Malik Ahmed Hussain Dehar, Syed Nazim Hussain Shah and Malik Aamir Dogar, Khalid Hanif Lodhi, city President Khurshid Ahmed Khan, M.Saleem Raja and former federal minister Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Awan said that even after a passage of 34 years the ideology of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had been alive in the hearts of poor people and it would remain so for centuries to come. They said that it was first time when a man, who belonged to elite class came to common people informing them that they were true source of power in a democracy. According to them, Bhutto informed the common people that 'you are the ultimate pillar of the strength, adding Bhutto empowered people of Pakistan and he also gave freedom of expression to them. They further said, a dictator over-turned an elected government of the people of Pakistan and later hanged the leader. Bhutto had a revolutionary personality and he never compromised on his vision and the rights of the poor people, they added. The speakers said that the dictator had hoped to crush Bhuttoism by hanging Bhutto but that was his mistake. The day of July 5 was not only a black-day for Pakistan and Pakistanis but it was also a sad day for Muslims and all those people, who were living in third world, they added. Senator Malik Salahuddin Dogar further said that the people of Pakistan from July 5, 1977 to this day had been observing this day as a black day for reminding those elements in society, which wanted to get the government by back-door or wanted to win elections through the help of anti-people forces.Malik Ahmed Hussain Dehar said that there was a time, when people were given two to three year of jail time for shouting the slogan 'Jeay Bhutto. But the people fought against the martial law and several people had given their lives for the democracy but they eventually won, he added. MPA Syed Nazim Hussain Shah said that it was a wish of every dictator to eradicate PPP and the ideology of Bhutto but they were living in fools heaven. Those forces were unaware that every common person in Pakistan was fighting against the dictators and anti-people and anti-democratic forces. The MPA Malik Aamer Dogar said no one dictator had ever been remembered in the history for good deeds rather they had been recalled as dictator and enemy of people, adding, it was truth of the history that the ideology of Bhutto was alive and it would live in the hearts of poor people for centuries. City President Khurshid Ahmed Khan said the PPP protected the sovereignty of the country and the entire nation, protected the rights of the provinces, and gave a unanimously approved Constitution of 1973.Khurshid said it was the vision of Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto (BB) to keep the nation united. He said that Shaheed Bhutto gave a unanimous Constitution, which was approved by all political parties and that was the first reconciliation policy of Bhutto. Meanwhile, the PPP observed the black day on July 5 (today) as 34 years ago the then Chief of Army Staff General Ziaul Haq imposed Martial Law in 1977 by overthrowing the elected government of the PPP. The dictator suspended the constitution, dissolved the National Assembly, the Senate and provincial assemblies and arrested the then elected prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The dictator later hanged the premier. PPP held several programmes all over the Muzaffargarh District to commemorate the black day. Regarding the day, Two major functions were held while a number of meetings, seminars were organised. MPA Ahsanul Haq Nolitia, MPA Malik Bilal Khar, PPP District President Ashiq Hussain Baloch, Senior Vice President Makdoom Arshad, MPA Irshad Hussain Syial and Malik Mazhar Hussain Pahore said that even after a passage of 34 years the ideology of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had been alive in the hearts of poor people and it would remain so for centuries to come. They said that it was first time when a man, who belonged to elite class came to common people informing them that they were true source of power in a democracy. According to them, Bhutto informed the common people that 'you are the ultimate pillar of the strength, adding Bhutto empowered people of Pakistan and he also gave freedom of expression to them. The speakers said that the dictator had hoped to crush Bhuttoism by hanging Bhutto but that was his mistake. The day of July 5 was not only a black-day for Pakistan and Pakistanis but it was also a sad day for Muslims and all those people, who were living in third world, they added. MPA Ahsanul Haq Nolitia further said that the people of Pakistan from July 5, 1977 to this day had been observing this day as a black day for reminding those elements in society, which wanted to get the government by back-door or wanted to win elections through the help of anti-people forces. Sardar Ashiq Baluch said that there was a time, when people were given two to three year of jail time for shouting the slogan 'Jeay Bhutto. But the people fought against the martial law and several people had given their lives for the democracy but they eventually won, he added. Zubaid us Islam Sharwani PPP General Secretary said that it was a wish of every dictator to eradicate PPP and the ideology of Bhutto but they were living in fools heaven. Those forces were unaware that every common person in Pakistan was fighting against the dictators and anti-people and anti-democratic forces. Meanwhile, The PPP Bahawalpur observed Tuesday the July 5 as a Black-Day to protest against the removal of the democratically elected PPP government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by General Ziaul Haq through Martial Law. The PPP Bahawalpur arranged a function here to mark the day and condemned the undemocratic move of late Gen Zia. They paid rich tribute to the PPP founder and his daughter Benazir Bhutto Shaheed over their highly remarkable struggle and sacrifices for the nation, country and democracy. HAFIZABAD - Pakistan Peoples Party workers observed July 5 as black day. Wearing black arm bands the workers assembled in a local school where PPP District President Malik Fayyaz Ahmad Awan, District General Secretary Arshad Mehind and others senior workers said that July 05 is the blackest day in the history of Pakistan when first democratically elected Prime Ministers government was toppled by a dictator and imposed Martial Law thus hampered progress and prosperity of the country. They called on the party workers to forge greater unity to contain any future adventurism by undemocratic forces. They expressed their confidence in the present PPP leadership and pledged to foil attempts by vested interests to derail the democratic order.