Like other parts of the country, Black Day was observed on Tuesday to condemn and mark indignation against the dethroning of the popularly-elected democratic government of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto this day in 1977 by the military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq.
The day was marked with special ceremonies followed by rallies and processions held in different parts of the State under the auspices of PPP and other democracy-loving political forces. In Mirpur, the major ceremony to observe the day was held under the auspices of local branch of PPP to condemn the forcible ouster of the elected government of shaheed ZAB through a coup by the dictator General Zia-ul-Haq.
The ceremony was chaired by the district President of PPP and former administrator Zila Council Chaudhry Muhammad Mushtaq and addressed among others by Media Advisor to PPP President Zaffar Mughal and other PPP leaders including Farid Anwar Advocate Iftikhar Raja, Chaudhry Ashraf and others.
Addressing the ceremony the speakers said the day of July 5, 1977 was a black day in the democratic and political history of the country. They said the removal of ZAB's elected government was not only a long-lasting loss to the country but also to the entire Muslim Ummah since shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had not only emerged as a great leader of the third world but also the leader of the Islamic world.
"Holding of the first grand Islamic summit held in Lahore during shaheed ZAB's regime was an ample proof of this reality," they recalled. The speakers said General Zia-ul-Haq had stabbed into the popularly-elected government of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto on that day by overthrowing it blatantly abrogating the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.