Begum Nusrat Bhutto was laid to rest next to her husband former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto at the Bhutto family cemetery in their ancestral town of Garhi Khuda Bux on Monday.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Nusrat’s grandson, lowered her remains into the grave and placed it in accordance with Islamic traditions. He was the first to cover his grandmother’s grave and was assisted by his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, in performing the task, which Muslims are obliged to undertake while performing funeral rites. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa, Senator Babar Awan, Federal Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khurshid Shah, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Water and Power Minister Naveed Qamar, PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira, MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Provincial Ministers Agha Siraj Durrani and Manzoor Wassan, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)’s Farooq Sattar, Wasim Akhtar, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Ghaus Ali Shah and other political leaders attended the funeral. In a statement, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif also extended his condolences to the Bhutto family.
Only around 3,000 people were allowed into Naudero House to attend the funeral prayers because of security concerns. The funeral prayers were led by Mufti Abdul Rahim Kandhar. It was announced at the funeral that Nusrat’s soyem would be held at President’s House here on Wednesday at 4pm. The federal government decided to award the former first lady the Nishan-e-Imtiaz and the title of Madar-e-Jamhooriat (Mother of Democracy). Earlier, Nusrat’s remains were brought to Sukkur by a chartered plane from Dubai, accompanied by Sanam Bhutto, Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Asefa, where a contingent of Sindh Police presented a guard of honour to the late Nusrat Bhutto. President Zardari, who dashed from Jordan to Dubai after learning of his mother-in-law’s passing, flew to Sukkur in his own plane. Tight security arrangements were made at Sukkur airport, Naudero and in Garhi Khuda Bux. After funeral prayers at Naudero House, the body was taken to Garhi Khuda Bux in a motorcade. President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and members of the Bhutto family accompanied the funeral procession. Funeral prayers in absentia were also offered in several cities and towns of the country including at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, in Faisalabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Gujranwala.
Nusrat Bhutto laid to rest
