The week-long countrywide celebrations in connection with 49th Foundation Day of Pakistan Peoples Party began on Wednesday. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other senior party leaders attended the opening ceremony at Bilawal House Bahria Town. The celebrations started with a cake cutting activity by the workers. Late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had founded the party on November 30, 1967.
The party workers had also taken out several rallies across the country to mark the event while the leading celebratory ceremony has been convened in Lahore, once known as the fort of PPP, where the party stalwarts would spend at least five days to brainstorm the party affairs.
Dignitaries attending the ceremony included former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly, Khurshid Shah, Leader of the Opposition in Senate, Aitzaz Ahsan, Qamar Zaman Kaira and others. Earlier, the party chairman Bilawal Bhutto arrived in city from Dubai. He was welcomed by the party's top leadership, including PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and Nadeem Afzal Chan, who along with a large number of party workers received him carrying party flags.
PPP leaders and workers started flocking to Lahore to participate in the foundation day celebrations. Bilawal said on the occasion that the doors to Bilawal House are open to all and requested his party workers to join in the making of a "new" PPP. PPP leader Manzoor Wattoo had also organised a breakfast for the newly-elected leadership of central and south Punjab. The party leadership also spoke to media on the occasion, vowing to revive the party's glory in Punjab under the leadership of Bilawal Bhutto.