KARACHI, Jan 6: President of the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians Makhdoom Ameen Fahim has said that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto laid down her life for the cause of democracy, supremacy of the Constitution and empowerment of the people and the best way to pay homage to the great leader is to carry forward her mission.

“Unfortunately time didn’t allow her (to accomplish the mission) and she left it for the people and their party, he said in a press statement on Sunday.

He said Ms Bhutto knew the challenges faced by Pakistan and she struggled for the restoration of democracy through free, fair and transparent elections and a governance of collective wisdom.

Makhdoom Fahim urged his party workers, leaders and candidates to go door to door to spread Ms Bhutto’s mission, adding that PPP must resume its election campaign immediately.

“The Mohtarma shed her blood for the integrity of Pakistan and people of the entire country should participate whole-heartedly in the Feb 18 elections to hand a defeat to anti-democratic forces,” he said. Meanwhile, PPP leaders Nawab Yousuf Talpur, Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, Jam Saifullah Dharejo, Engineer Gianchand, Dr Khatumal Jeewan and others have demanded immediate induction of a neutral caretaker government and independent election commission to hold free, fair and transparent elections.

In a joint press statement issued here on Sunday, they said that holding free, fair and transparent elections was the foremost demand by all patriotic and democratic forces in Pakistan.

They said that imposition of any restriction on the international election observers to visit polling stations would be unacceptable to the participants of the elections.

The PPP leaders deplored that thousands of false cases had been registered across the country against innocent people as part of a bigger plot to rig the elections. They demanded immediate withdrawal of all these false and fabricated cases against PPP workers and other innocent people without any delay. They also demanded an immediate halt to the crackdown on PPP workers in Sindh. “In Tharparker, the private militia of Arbab Ghulam Rahim has been deployed to carry out midnight operations against PPP workers,” they alleged.

The PPP leaders called for removal of all curbs on the media and release of all lawyers, judges, political workers and civil society leaders to ensure free and fair elections.—PPI