Zardari's Rs.900million Benazir Bhutto memorial plan angers Pakistanis

Islamabad, Sep 16(ANI): Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has invited public ire over plans to build a Rs.900million memorial for his late wife, Benazir Bhutto.

Benazir, a former Prime Minister, was assassinated in December 2007.


The 10-acre park and library complex was approved last month, but it has provoked anger in Pakistan. People are demanding that the Rs.900million cost for the project should be diverted to help the flood victims.

The monument has been in the pipeline for over two years, and has also attracted the ire of political opponents and campaigners before the floods.

A thousand people a day are signing an online petition urging the monument money be spent on flood relief instead.

"Our priority should be our people who are suffering, and we are almost sure that our former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, who loved this country and its people, would also agree," The Telegraph quoted the online petition, as saying. (ANI)

President Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visit ancestral graveyard of Bhutto family

By GR Gorar and
Abdul Ghaffar Khoso
LARKANA: President Asif Ali Zardari along with Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday visited the graves of the martyrs of Bhutto family at Garhi Khuda Bux. They visited the mausoleums of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. President Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari laid floral wreaths at the graves of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and founder Chairman of PPP and former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and offered fateha. They also visited the graves of late Shireen Amir Begum, the first wife of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Mir Shahnawaz Bhutto and laid wreaths and offered fateha. Sindh Law Minister Muhammad Ayaz Soomro, Senior Vice President PPP Larkana district Dr. Shafqat Hussain Soomro, MPA Ghulam Mujadid Isran, Abdul Fateh Bhutto, Khair Muhammad Shaikh, Ghulam Mustafa Lghari, Aijaz Laghari and PPP leaders were present on the occasion. Earlier, on arrival at the Garhi Khuda Bux helipad, President Zardari and Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were received by the Sindh Law Minister Muhammad Ayaz Soomro, Dr. Shafqat Hussain Soomro and other PPP leaders.
Flood affectees stage protests in Larkana
Different protest demonstrations were staged by the flood victims in the relief camps at Municipal Stadium, Pilot School, Girls College, Degree College, Station Road and other areas against the provision unhygienic food and contaminated water.
While talking to newsmen, the protestors condemned the local authorities for not providing them facilities. They demanded of the high-ups to take notice of the matter and provide them facilities, otherwise they have threatened to extend their protest level.
Meeting of Sindhi Sahafi Sangat held
A meeting of Sindh Sahafi Sangat (SSS) held on Tuesday. In the meeting the leaders of SSS discussed different party matters. They announced to establish relief goods collecting camps for the flood affectees after Eid-ul-Fitr.
On the occasion, Nazir Ahmed Siyal, Muhammad Ali, Qazi Aijaz, Imtiaz Ali, M Yaseen, Barkat Ali, A Ghaffar and others were also present.
District Officer Civil Defense Larkana briefs about relief works
Civil Defense Larkana authorities are actively participating in relief work during flood situation in Larkana and Kamber-Shahdadkot. This was said by the District Officer Civil Defense Larkana Ghulam Akbar Buriro while talking to newsmen on Tuesday.
He added that his department has so far provided 700 tents to the flood affected people and installed tents at 14 points in Larkana district. He further informed that the civil defense volunteers are engaged in rescue and relief works since several weeks.

Nawaz urges Zardari to scrap UK visit

NOWSHERA: Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif has urged President Asif Ali Zardari to cancel his visit to Britain to protest against the statement of Prime Minister David Cameroon that had hurt sentiments of Pakistani nation.

Talking to media after visiting the flood-affected areas in Nowshera he said president’s visit at this hour was uncalled for. Nawaz asked the British prime minister to be mindful that Pakistan had rendered sacrifices more than any other nation in the war against terrorism. The people of UK are aware of these sacrifices and therefore they do not share what Cameroon had said, he opined. Nawaz said he was there to help the calamity stricken brothers. He urged all political parties to help the flood affected people rising above politics.

The government should mobilize all resources at this occasion, he urged adding Punjab had provided medicines and food for the affectees. He was of the opinions that instead of looking beyond the borders we should rely on our own resources.

Meanwhile, the PML-N spokesman, Siddiqul Farooq, said Zardari should cancel his visit to the UK and that the law minister should not politicise the flood issue. Talking to a private TV channel, he said if the president prioritised national interests, he would have cancelled the UK visit in protest against UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s anti-Pakistan statement. He said the government was labelling the private visit of President Asif Ali Zardari as an official visit.

The PML-N spokesman said the masses were facing challenges owing to floods in various parts of the country, while Law Minister Babar Awan was trying to gain benefits by politicising the flood issue.

‘PPP govt to complete tenure owing to Zardari’s political wisdom’

Chief Minister (CM) Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Monday declared that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led government would complete its tenure owing to the political wisdom of President and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Khan Zardari.

Addressing a gathering held at the People’s Secretariat to mark the 55th birth anniversary of President Zardari, Shah said, “The president believes in the politics of reconciliation which was initiated by late PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.” The CM vowed that the PPP would apprehend the killers of Benazir Bhutto and take them to task.

He also spoke about the government’s initiatives in social sector including the grant of lands to landless women, Benazir Bhutto Income Support Programme, youth skill development programme, etc.

PPP President Karachi Najmi Alam, General Secretary Saeed Ghani, provincial ministers, leaders as well as women and children were present on the occasion. A birthday cake was also cut on the occasion.

Meanwhile, a large number of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers announced to donate their organs, following in the footstep of their leader, on the occasion of Zardari’s birth anniversary.

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information Jameel Soomro and other party workers organized a function at Bilqis Edhi Foundation and celebrated the birthday of Zardari with orphan children.

Abdul Sattar Edhi and children cut the birthday cake of Zardari.

Party leaders distributed gifts among the children besides serving them with food.

The PPP leaders appreciated the discipline of the children and lauded the services of Abdul Sattar Edhi and his wife Bilqis Edhi for their work for humanity.

Later, Jameel Soomro, Sharmila Farooqui, Waqar Mehdi, Rashid Rabbani, Ejaz Durrani and other party activists signed forms to donate their organs.

The city chapter of the PPP also celebrated the birthday of their co-chairman at the People’s Secretariat.

It is worth noting here that Zadari left for Dubai on Sunday night to celebrate his birthday with his children.

Zardari for demilitarising Siachen ‘Talks failed due to India’s internal problems’

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the time has come to demilitarise the Siachen front and both Pakistan and India should withdraw their forces from that front because of heavy expenditure.

He was talking to the office-bearers of Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana Press Clubs on Friday here at the CM House. While commenting on the recently-concluded Pak-India talks, Zardari said the talks failed due to India’s internal political problems. However, he added that Pakistan was hopeful of resumption of a meaningful dialogue with India.

He said that the glacier at Siachen was melting and because of this, India would suffer heavy losses, and high military expenditures on that front were a burden on both Pakistan and India. He said Pakistan wanted to continue the dialogue process with India and he was hopeful that the water issue with the neighbour will be resolved amicably and with mutual understanding.

The president said that the Establishment was not involved in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, adding that it was the Taliban factor that was involved in her assassination. The United Nationsí commission, constituted to probe the murder of the PPP chairperson, released its report in a very short period, he said.

He said Osama Bin Laden was provided money to remove the first Benazir Bhutto government. Zardari said the PPP saved Pakistan after the murder of its chairperson and raised slogans like ëPakistan Khappayí.

The president said that there was no need for a confrontation on water because ìwater is the need of all the four provincesî and urged the provinces to take steps to harness water. He said the people did not accept the nationalist forces and added that being a national party, the PPP had the responsibility to protect the rights of the people of the whole country.

He said the government was trying to introduce the Chinese irrigation system for better utilisation of water and increase the agriculture production. He said the government was taking steps to overcome the power crisis, which the previous regime had totally ignoredand which was the main cause of the shortfall of electricity.

World converted noble Pakistanis into warriors, says Zardari

KARACHI: The federal government was fighting terrorism to give a safer and better Pakistan to the future generations, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday.

The president made these remarks while addressing the signing of the ‘gift of life’ certificate by him for donating all his body organs for deserving patients, at the Bilawal House. Zardari said that the world had converted noble Pakistanis into warriors. Although this chapter was closed now but Pakistan was still trying to adapt to the changed circumstances, the president said. “Those who are pointing fingers at us, my message for them is that we did not create this new format of war. This is not Pakistan-specific and this is not made in our laboratories. Yes, we are guilty of saving the world and you are guilty of forgetting us, your allies,” he added.

Zardari told the audience that Pakistan was going through various turmoils and turbulences. In Swat, the country had handled the world’s largest displacement of 2.5 million people, the president said.

The president called upon the world to consider Pakistanis such as organ transplant surgeon Dr Adib Rizvi, Abdul Sattar Edhi and Benazir Bhutto. He said that Rizvi and Edhi could have made fortunes by adopting other professions. Zardari announced that Pakistan would nominate Rizvi’s name for the Nobel Peace Prize. app

Zardari calls for national commitment against terror

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said Pakistan needs a united national commitment in order to successfully eliminate terrorism from the region.

Speaking at the 92nd passing out parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy, the President also expressed confidence in the country’s armed forces and said the military is capable of countering any external or internal threats to Pakistan.

Zardari also warned that Pakistan's peaceful policies should not be considered a weakness and that the country is perfectly capable of defending itself.

Being a peaceful country, Pakistan does not want get into a regional arms race with any of its neighbours, he further said