Party workers and leaders gathered at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi to mark the 18th anniversary of Benazir Bhutto’s martyrdom and to renew their commitment to her ideals of democracy, public sovereignty and rights for women and marginalized communities. Speakers emphasized that Benazir Bhutto’s struggle remains central to the party’s mission and urged recognition and respect for loyal party workers.
Banaras Choudhry, head of the Workers Union, addressed the gathering alongside Syed Masood Shah, advocate and divisional president of the Peoples Lawyers Forum, Amjad Butt, PPP spokesperson in Germany, and Raja Zaheer Iqbal. Former party officials including Nasser Mir and Chaudhry Nasser Qayyum also spoke, praising Benazir Bhutto’s historic service to democracy and human rights.
Numerous local leaders and activists joined the commemoration, among them Raja Faiz Akbar, Azhar Khan, former councillor Munirullah Butt, former nazim Jahangir Butt, Saeed Akhtar, Falak Sher Lodhi, labour union representative Raja Abdul Majeed Javed Khan and others. Women leaders including former MLA Shehzadi Kausar Gilani, Gulnaz Badshah, Kausar Altaf and Shabana Ilyas attended with party workers to pay their respects.
At the Shaheedgah, attendees lit candles in memory of Benazir Bhutto and showered the site with flower petals. Workers stood together to salute her contributions to democratic stability and national defence, and vowed to carry forward Benazir Bhutto’s mission. A collective Fatiha was offered for the late leader and for ward committee officials and activists from Rawalpindi who were killed in the Liaquat Bagh tragedy.
The event concluded with distribution of langar to participants. Banaras Choudhry thanked those present for their participation and reiterated the call to honor committed party workers by giving them their rightful place and respect within the movement.
