ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sajid Hussain Turi has said that July 5 will be marked as the darkest day in the history of Pakistan forever.

Talking to reporters on Monday, Turi said that on this day in 1977, dictator Ziaul Haq sent the nation’s favourite leader and democratically-elected Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to jail and abrogated the constitution of Pakistan, pushing the country into darkness.

He said that from that day unprecedented atrocities against the Bhutto family and PPP workers had started which is an unforgettable chapter of the history for PPP workers.

Turi, who is also Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter vice-president, also said the dictator Ziaul Haq introduced terrorism, sectarianism, intolerance, drugs, and Kalashnikov culture in the country.

“Till today we are reaping what he had sowed. Dictator Zia had a dream of fools that he would erase the name of Shaheed Bhutto from our hearts but Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Shaheed is still ruling the hearts of millions of his followers and will continue to rule our hearts forever,” he added.

He said it was unfortunate that the country’s nuclear power architect and great charismatic leader was sent to the gallows.

“Today, we can take the country on the path of progress by following the philosophy of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto under the visionary and courageous leadership of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari,” he said, adding the PPP chairman as the foreign minister was working day and night to end the diplomatic isolation due to the “flawed” foreign policy of the previous PTI government.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022