Rich tribute paid to late Nusrat Bhutto

Paying rich tributes and homage to Madar-e-Jamhooriat Begum Nusrat Bhutto, the speakers and participants of a memorial reference here on Monday said that she was one of the greatest women, the country had ever produced.
The condolence reference was organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad.
SDPI’s Senior Advisor for Policy Outreach Shafqat Munir moderated the proceedings.
Farahnaz Ispahani, MNA PPP and media adviser to President of Pakistan, said Begum Nusrat Bhutto would be recalled as the mother of democracy, whenever the great ladies of history would be remembered.
Begum Nusrat Bhutto, she said, hoisted the flag of democracy, stood like a wall before ruthless dictators, suffered both physically and emotionally the continuous onslaught of her adversaries, so we could all breathe freely in open environment. She sacrificed her whole family so that our families could thrive and prosper, she added.
‘The Iron Lady of Pakistan’, she said, was the backbone of movement for the restoration of democracy (MRD). She said that when we talked of reconciliation today, in fact, it was Nusrat Bhutto who pioneered it by bringing together the country’s political forces, even those who were once adversaries of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, to the platform of the MRD.
PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira said Nusrat Bhutto ultimately lost her life due to the injury she had received during a protest for the rights of people of Pakistan at the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore during Zia’s martial law. He said that she firmly stood behind ZA Bhutto against General Ayub Khan for the rights of workers, laborers, poor and women of Pakistan.
He said the PPP workers were beaten, whipped, jailed, exiled but never gave up because of to the leadership of Nusrat Bhutto.
Senator Tahir Mashadi, on behalf the MQM and its leadership, said it was great honour for his party to pay homage to one of the greatest women the country. He compared the tragedies that befell on Kennedys, Nahrus and Bhuttos.
Ahmad Saleem of the SDPI also paid tributes to Nurat Bhutto’s political struggle and her contribution to the country’s politics.
He said that she took over the party leadership in extremely difficult times and stood firm against the dictator of the time. “Such moral courage of a woman can be testified with a number of examples from her life,” he added.