KARACHI          -           Benazir Bhutto was not only the first woman prime minister of Pakistan, but also the first woman leader of any Muslim country. She represented the country with immense potential and always worked hard for Pakistan’s development and success.

She was elected prime minister of Pakistan twice and she was assassinated when people were set to elect her to power once again, says Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Prof ND Khan on Friday.

Addressing a ceremony arranged by the University of Karachi to pay tribute to Benazir Bhutto at the Valika Cricket Ground of Karachi University, Prof Khan recalled that Benazir Bhutto was gunned downed at the same place where the first elected prime minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan was shot dead in 1951.

He observed that this is so unfortunate that “we have not maintained the history of our leaders, we have not preserved their records and we do not have much details about political activities and personal lives of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan, ZA Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto in shape of books or documentaries.

Prof ND Khan asked the Benazir Bhutto Chair at the University of Karachi to do in-depth research on different aspects of Benazir Bhutto’s life and share it with the masses. He urged people to do research on the leaders of Pakistan so that the young generation knows how much struggle those leaders did for development of Pakistan.

Another speaker, SZABIST Trust Secretary Dr Salman Ahmed Shaikh, shed light on Benazir Bhutto’s vision and said she was the true role model for Pakistani women.

Seasoned journalist Mahmood Sham observed that December 27 is one of the blackest days in the history of the country. He said that Benazir Bhutto introduced the concept of reconciliation in the political culture and wanted to promote it but, unfortunately, she was assassinated at a public place.

The dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Karachi University, Prof Dr Nasreen Aslam Shah said that being the acting director of the Benazir Bhutto Chair she would use all available resources to collect all aspects of Benazir Bhutto’s life and would make it public.

Director of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Chair at the Karachi University Prof Saleem Memon said, “Assassination of Benazir Bhutto was one of the most tragic incidents we have witnessed till date.” KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said that Benazir Bhutto till her last breath was trying to provide equal rights to Muslims and non-Muslims, men and women of the country.

Separately, PPP Senator Islamuddin Shaikh, MNA Noman Islam Shaikh and Sukkur Mayor Arsalan Shaikh on Friday paid tributes to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on her death anniversary being observed today.

In a joint statement, they said that Benazir was a visionary political leader who achieved a unique status in Pakistani politics due to her extraordinary intelligence, tireless efforts and bold style of politics. Paying homage to the former twice-elected prime minister on her death anniversary, Islamuddin Shaikh said that she had the courage to challenge the worst dictatorship of times. Pakistani political leaders remembered her as a leader who gave voice to the downtrodden section of the society, he added. They recalled the day of her assassination as a sad chapter in the political history of the country.

QURAN KHAWANI:  Quran Khawani and Fateha were offered for the soul of Benazir Bhutto on her death anniversary by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) at Chauhan House here on Friday. The Quran Khawani and Fateha were also arranged at the residences of PPP leaders Abid Gul Mahar, Fayaz Zhana and Advocate Rizwana Memon. Addressing the gathering, PPP leaders paid glowing tributes to Benazir Bhutto.