LARKANA: The stage is set at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto to commemorate the 17th death anniversary of former prime minister and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto amid extensive security on December 27 (today).
People in caravans began to arrive from different parts of the country. A huge pandal was set up at the site where a 60 feet high stage was built and different welcome camps were set up to help accommodate party activists and Bhutto lovers.
These camps were also set up in Larkana town where party songs were played while tricolor flags were hoisted and banners, posters and portraits of PPP leaders were displayed on the road to Naudero and at the site.
Naseer Khan of the Lahore PPP human rights wing lit candles near the Bhuttos mausoleum to pay tribute to the struggle and sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, President Asif Ali Zardari, Sanam Bhutto, MNA Aseffa Bhutto Zardari, Mrs. Faryal Talpur, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, KPK Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, the Punjab Governor Saleem Haider and a host of other leaders have arrived in Naudero.
The day will dawn with the Khwani Quran at the mausoleum, followed by a mushaira to be held under the auspices of the People’s Youth Wing, where poets will pay homage to the former prime minister.
To provide security for the gathering, foolproof security measures were taken by deploying 8,500 police officers and personnel including 34 SSP, 3 ASP, 82 DSP along with 700 traffic police and women to control the traffic flow on the day .
Different parking lots were established with path identification for people coming from different directions to the location. To monitor the pandal, more than 200 CCTV cameras and more than 80 passage gates have been installed at selected points.
A special control room has been set up at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto to monitor the situation.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar and IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon have already arrived in Larkana to review the security measures.
A meeting was held at the SSP office where the Additional IGP of the Special Branch, the DIGs of Larkana and Sukkur camps, along with the SSPs, briefed the Home Minister and the IGP about the security arrangements.
Chairing the meeting, the minister stated that until further orders, security will be on high alert in the province and no negligence will be tolerated.
He said priority should be given to the safety of people coming from different parts of the country to participate in the 17th anniversary of the death.
He said encroachments on the roads leading to Bhuttos’ mausoleum should be cleared so that traffic flow is uninterrupted. Parking areas should be kept under surveillance, he said, asking people to immediately report to the police if they see any suspicious items, bags or anything.
Published in Dawn, December 27, 2024
