KARACHI, Feb 27: A senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has demanded thorough probe into the disclosure of Maulvi Mohammad Sarwar, the man who recently killed a Punjab woman minister that he had tried to kill the former premier Benazir Bhutto in Wazirabad in 1994 and make the results of the investigation public.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, PPP leader Aftab Shaaban Mirani said that it was a shocking surprise for the PPP that there had been a plan to assassinate Ms Bhutto during her public address in Wazirabad in 1994 by the accused Maulvi Mohammad Sarwar.

He stated that it was of great public concern that continuous attempts had been planned by the enemies of Ms Bhutto to eliminate her from the political scene for being a moderate and progressive leader of the country.

“Her political rivals, through assassination attempt and recent murder of a female Punjab minister, have tried to send an indirect message to her that her life will be in danger if she returns,” he added.

It is a historical fact that she had been facing such situations even before joining politics - judicial murder of her father; assassinations of her brothers and then long incarceration of her husband without any convictions - but it did not diminish her courage to face all the odd situations, he added saying that despite all threats to her life, she is determined to return to her country and to lead the masses through the coming general elections.

Mr Mirani recalled that in the past there had been two similar assassination attempts on Ms Bhutto in Karachi by Yousaf Ramzi and his associates. He called for a through investigation to expose the hidden hands who wanted to eliminate the PPP chairperson.