Today, we are solemnly observing the death anniversary of Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who dedicated his life and comforts for the rights and betterment of the common man. While addressing a gathering in Karachi on January 2, 1974, he said "our cherished goal is the betterment of the lot of the common men.
Each step closer to that goal fills my heart with immeasurable pleasure, for the attainment of that goal has been the sole object of my life and all my work." Instead of compromising on his noble mission, Shaheed Z. A. Bhutto preferred martyrdom and live to his own words, "if sacrifices are for a good cause, for a cause of national unity, for a cause of national consolidation or happiness then they are not in vain."
At a time when the entire nation was beset with gloom following the Fall of Dhaka in 1971, it was the towering personality of Z.A. Bhutto who came forward and stemmed the tide of defeatism. The promulgation of constitution of 1973 with the full support and consensus of all strands of political opinion is an abiding tribute to the leadership and statesmanship of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. His policy of 'bilateralism' served to correct the imbalance in Pakistan's foreign policy. His launching of Pakistan's nuclear programme to offset the Indian strategic dominance has turned out to be sole guardian of our territorial integrity.
The idea of political unity within the Muslim Umma was always close to his heart. His was the driving spirit behind extraordinary meeting of the Islamic Summit in Lahore in 1974. So numerous are contributions of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that cannot be summed up in a few paragraphs. He sought to redefine the direction of Pakistan in accordance with the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal.
Our PPP-led democratic government is guided by the lofty vision of Quaid-e-Azam and Quaid-e-Awam. In line with course charted by our leaders, this government has taken a number of steps which have the potential to reorient the direction of state policy in favour of the masses.
The chief among them include politics of reconciliation, the successful 7th NFC Award, Gilgit-Balistan autonomy, political ownership of war on terror, Haqooq-e-Balochistan and empowerment of women to name of few. The determination for revival of original character of Constitution 1973 which would rectify imbalance in the system and strengthen parliamentary democracy in the country, is also part of our endevours. I believe that the best way to pay tribute to Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is to implement his vision and the present government is committed to translate his dream into reality.
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