Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that Madre Jamhooriat late Nusrat Bhutto was a symbol of tolerance, reconciliation and perseverance in political struggle against all odds.
"The way she steered the movement for restoration of democracy is an epitome which corroborates her excellence in political leadership," Khuhro said while addressing a seminar held in the honour of Madre Jamhooriat at Sindhi Language Authority here on Sunday.
He told that the parties which formed the MRD were the same which were in opposition to Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto during his government.
However, certain political leaders within the MRD realised that without the leading representation of the Pakistan Peoples Party the movement against the military dictator Ziaul Haq would not succeed, he added.
"They urged late Nasrullah Khan to exhort Madre Jamhooriat, who was leading the party at that time, to join the MRD," he told.
According to Khuhro, late Bhutto joined the MRD in the spirit of reconciliation and to reclaim the authority to govern the country usurped by a dictator for the governance by the elected representatives.
The Speaker Sindh Assembly recalled that there was a time when the assembly of the political leaders and workers were not allowed.
"The police and other security agencies would baton charge, intern and even lodge cases against the workers if they dared to gather even in a group of 5 to 6 people," he said.
Praising the courage and sagacity of the late leader, Khuhro said that it was the height of her tolerance that she stuck to democratic politics after the judicial murder of her husband, poisoning to death of one son and martyrdom of another son.
"If that was not enough, Shaheed Benazir was also martyred in her life," he added. Khuhro opined that the forces of authoritarianism could only be fought through tolerance whose absence in the society sets the ground for them to usurp the power undemocratically.
"It owes to the reconciliation and tolerance that the steadfastness of the PPP helped to expunge the constitution of Pakistan of the name of Ziaul Haq," he remarked. The enemies of democracy, Khuhro added, had been giving dates that the government would collapse.
However, those elements had only tested failure of their intrigues as the PPP had completed 4 years in the power despite their conspiracies and was on the way of completing the fifth year.
"This will also be a record for a democratically elected government," he remarked.
The Sindh Minister for Information Shazi Marri while addressing the seminar and later talking to the media recalled the unforgettable services of late Bhutto for the country. The minister said that Shaheed Zulfiqar Bhutto, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Madre Jamhuriat all taught the leaders and workers of the PPP a non-violence, tolerant and peaceful political struggle.
"During the periods of despotic rules, the workers suffered brutalities, were badly beaten and put in jails but they never for once resorted to violence," she added.
When asked about the assault by a PPP candidate on a Sindh Assembly seat in Tando Muhammad Khan, Marri said that any kind of violence was condemnable and that the court was hearing the case. She said that the Punjab Government of Shahbaz Sharif resorted to police gardi and many incidents of violence took place, which were though not captured by the camera. Marri also criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf, chief Imran Khan for allowing the remnant of Pervez Musharraf to join the party while Khan had been claiming to give membership to only 'laundry washed' persons in his party.
Sindh Fisheries Minister Zahid Bhurgari said the PPP government was following the footsteps of Madre Jamhooriat and improving the lives of people by offering them employment, trainings for self employment and welfare schemes.