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Islamabad: Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker, National Assembly has said that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a visionary and a stateswoman. She said that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto believed in supremacy of Parliament and always worked for strengthening the democratic institutions and promotion of democratic norms in the country.
She fought for the downtrodden and oppressed and longed for a forward-looking Pakistan, where women were not subjected to humiliation, torture and treated with respect as equal partners to progress and prosperity. Dr. Fehmida Mirza said this in her message on 4th Death Anniversary being observed, tomorrow.
Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had a towering and multi-dimensional personality and was bacon of light for the downtrodden, oppressed and marginalized segments of the society. She said that Mohtarma had the courage to challenge the worst dictatorship of the times when compared with other contemporary politicians.
She had to pass through the whirlpool of vendetta by repressive regime in shape of brutal assassination of her father Quaid-e-Awam Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the murders of her two brothers, the hardships of her mother, her own and her husband’s imprisonments, physical and mental torture, nevertheless, she bravely faced whatever came in her way, continued to challenge and dictatorships and remained steadfast in her commitment to the people and democracy.
Madam Speaker said that the challenges confronted to the nation at present can be resolved with joint efforts. She said that people of all the provinces had their confidence in Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and whenever the nation was given a relatively free of chance to choose, her political party returned successful from all the four federating units. She said that Pakistan witnessed a phenomenal development in all sectors of economy and made the country impregnable during her both tenures as Prime Minister.
Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that Mohtarma worked diligently as twice-elected Prime Minister towards the well-defined goals of women empowerment. Shaheed Mohtarma brought women to the main-stream by appointing them as judges of the superior courts, opened first women bank, ensured state protection for women by coming up to with the idea of separate women police stations, dedicated funds and schemes in shape of women health workers to bring sea-change in plight of misery and disease stricken women and last but surely least, encouraged women at every tier of political hierarchy.
Madam Speaker said that Mohtarma strongly believed in reconciliation and forbearance she was always forgiving and tried to look for similarities rather than to seek difference and believed in building bridges and not living in isolation, both on the international level as well as on the national front.
Madam Speaker called upon all the political forces to rise above party lines to work for the democracy and rebuild Pakistan as Mohtarma dreamed, aspired worked for. She termed it the befitting way of paying homage and remembrance Benazir Bhutto deserves as a cherished off-spring of the Indus, a gifted soul of Pakistan, the befitting daughter of the East and the visionary of our times. May Allah Rest the souls of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in eternal peace (Ameen), Madam Speaker prayed.
For more information, contact:
Karamat Hussain Niazi
Secretary
National Assembly of Pakistan
Parliament House, Islamabad
Tel: +9251 922 1082 -83
Fax: +9251 922 1106