Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders cautioned against the use of religion for political gains on Saturday, as it prepared to mark a black day over the imposition of martial law in 1977 in Pakistan.
“July 5 is a black day in our national calendar,” PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari said in a message on the 38th anniversary of the 1977 coup.
Zardari further claimed that the mindset of religious extremism, privatised Jihad and sectarianism that had been present at that time continues to haunt the nation.
“On this day a dictator overthrew an elected prime minister and later executed him, decimated the Constitution and began privatising jihad, exploiting religion and fanning sectarianism for his own personal political agenda,” he said.
“We must collectively fight to the finish the pernicious mind-set of fanaticism and extremism,” he said.