NA SPEAKER Message on the 58th Birth Anniversary of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto

 NA SPEAKER CALL UPON ALL THE POLITICAL FORCES TO RISE ABOVE PARTY LINES TO WORK FOR DEMOCRACY AND PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY IN THE COUNTRY.

            Islamabad; June 20, 2012: Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker, National Assembly has said that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a visionary and a stateswoman and always aspired for a world, free from exploitation and discrimination between privileged and underprivileged, men and women. She fought for the downtrodden and oppressed and longed for a forward-looking Pakistan, where women were not subjected to humiliation, torture and treated with respect as equal partners to progress and prosperity. She said this in her message on the 58th Birth Anniversary of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto being observed tomorrow.

            Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that Shaheed Mohtarma had a towering and multi-dimensional personality and was bacon of light for the downtrodden, oppressed and marginalized segments of the society. She said that Mohtarma had the courage to challenge the worst dictatorship of the times when compared with other contemporary politicians. Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that Mohtarma worked diligently as twice-elected Prime Minister towards the well-defined goals of women empowerment. Shaheed Mohtarma brought women to the main-stream by appointing them as judges of the superior courts, opened first women bank, ensured state protection for women.

             The Speaker said that Mohtarma strongly believed in reconciliation and forbearance and tried to look for similarities rather than to seek differences and believed in building bridges and not living in isolation, both on the international level as well as on the national front. The Speaker said that today as the nation finds itself encircled by challenges and threats, therefore, we should follow the footsteps of the Mohtarma in order to steer the country out of the present quagmire. She said that Mohtarma was a strong believer of solidarity of Federation and provincial autonomy. She said that the people of the four provinces had their confidence in her and whenever the nation was given a relatively free chance to choose, her political party returned successful from all the four federating units.

             Madam Speaker called upon all the political forces to rise above party lines to work for the democracy and progress and prosperity of the country and rebuild Pakistan as Mohtarma dreamt, aspired and worked for. She termed it the befitting way of paying homage and remembrance, Benazir Bhutto deserves as a cherished off-spring of the Indus and a visionary of present times. May Allah Rest the soul of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in eternal peace (Ameen), the Speaker prayed.