Speakers at a reference for former first lady Begum Nusrat Bhutto on Saturday praised her for her bravery, dedication and determination and urged that she be “remembered as a leader”.
Speaking at the event organised by the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), Farrukh Sohail Goindi said that Nusrat Bhutto was only remembered after her death by the television anchors who had given factually incorrect information about her several times.
He said that Nusrat Bhutto had been so determined to sustain the party that she often rode in tongas, hidden in a burqa, in the middle of the night to attend secret party meetings while her husband was in jail. He said that if there had been no Nusrat Bhutto than there would neither have been the Benazir Bhutto the world had seen, nor the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the strength that it enjoys today.
PPP leaders SM Masood, Sajida Mir and Beelum Hasnain also shared their memories of Nusrat Bhutto. They praised her courage that had enabled her to bear the loss of her husband and children. The speakers credited her for beginning women’s wing in the party that led to the empowerment of women.
Beelum Hasnain recounted the personal memories of Begum Bhutto. She said that when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto decided to make a political party, Nusrat Bhutto had advised against it saying, “They will kill us all.” Beelum also mentioned that Begum Nusrat Bhutto always remembered who had sided with PPP during Martial Law and who had not.
However, she was not vindictive and never disrespected anyone, Beelum added.
