Former Prime Minister and chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto said that the Pakistan Peoples Party would continue its struggle for the restoration of democracy in the country.
She said this in a message on the eve of July 5, which she said was black day in the history of Pakistan when a democratically elected government was toppled in 1977 by General Zia Ul Haq (late), a media office of PPP chairperson issued a release here.
"July 5 is a black day in the history of Pakistan. It was on this day over a quarter of a century ago when a military dictator struck in the middle of the night to overthrow a democratic and popularly elected government," she stated.
Her late father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was the Prime Minister of Pakistan and was arrested on the date of 1977.
What followed thereafter is a sordid and unfortunate tale of destruction of democratic state institutions, decimation of the judiciary, usurpation of fundamental rights and disenfranchisement of the people of Pakistan. A reign of terror was let loose, innocent people were flogged and hanged merely for political dissent and ethnicity and sectarianism were deliberately promoted by the usurper to create an artificial constituency for perpetuating his rule, she said in her message.
"The dictator did a great disservice to religion when he exploited the fair name of Islam to provide a cover for some of the most oppressive measures of the usurper. It is great tragedy that today once again the country is under a dictatorship and the Constitution has been re-written by an individual to suit his own dictatorial agenda and to give a permanent role to the usurpers.
The people of Pakistan will not allow this and the PPP will oppose it in accordance with the aspirations of the people," she said.
Benazir Bhutto continues as saying, "On this day while we condemn fascism and dictatorship in all their manifestations, we also reiterate our resolve to continue to fight against tyranny, dictatorship and attempt to re-write the Constitution.
The dictators continue to employ their typical tools of deceit, subterfuge and intimidation but no deceit, subterfuge or use of force will deter the pro-democracy forces in the country from continuing to fight against tyranny."