PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday addressed a large gathering in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh for the April 4 commemoration of the 38th death anniversary of PPP founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

In his speech for the occasion, Bilawal said that "imperialists and their cronies" had conspired to plant the seeds of religious extremism in the country 40 years ago, but the PPP's war against religious extremism started even before and continues to this day.

Remembering his grandfather, Bilawal said that: “Today marks the darkest chapter in the history of Pakistan. The leader [Zulfikar Ali Bhutto] who defeated dictators was hanged today.”

Bilawal also took the occasion to criticize government leaders for lacking the ability to make the right decisions at the right time, saying they were too busy trying to figure out new ways to "save their black money".

"The government is only worried about the Panama case, while Pakistan still stands where it did three years ago," he added.

"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his accomplices are beating the drum of progress, but where is this progress in reality," he questioned.

"Gas development programmes are banned across Pakistan but gas connections are still being distributed amongst the cronies of PML-N," he added.

"They are making a fool of everyone in the country," he said.

"Mian sahab, you can fool yourself, but you can't fool the 200 million people of Pakistan,” he added.

PPP-Parliamentarians President Asif Ali Zardari also addressed the gathering, saying in his speech that justice has never been served in Pakistan.

The former president said his party was still waiting for the Supreme Court to deliver its verdict in the Panama leaks case, and that the PPP was ready to contest elections if they are held this year.

The Sindh government had announced a public holiday on the day in the province.

Security had been beefed up in and around the Bhutto family mausoleum and over 7,000 police personnel were deployed.

A big crowd of enthusiastic party workers and admirers of Z.A Bhutto participated in the public meeting to pay tributes to the iconic politician.

On Monday, Sindh PPP president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, along with some cabinet members, visited the venue and inspected the security arrangements for the day.

He also laid wreaths and offered fateha on the graves. The pandal was decorated with tricolour flags and big panaflexes while a large number of policemen were deployed along the routes leading to the venue.