ISLAMABAD, Nov 30: President of Pakistan and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari urged the nation on Sunday to forge unity in their ranks and transform the country into a modern, progressive, egalitarian and a genuinely democratic state.

“Let us resolve on this day to give the country a strong democratic foundation and the people of our federation peace progress and prosperity,” he said in a massage on PPP’s 42nd founding day.

He said: “Party workers are determined to build a modern, progressive, egalitarian and democratic Pakistan in which the poor and downtrodden will also live with honour and dignity.”

He said this was the first founding day of the party after the martyrdom of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. “Let this anniversary be a day of reawakening of the people to their destiny of democratic empowerment, end of militancy and economic opportunity for all as envisioned by Shaheed Mohtarma Bhutto and for which she laid down her life.”

Mr Zardari recalled that last November the founding day coincided with the separation of the office of the army chief from that of the president for which party workers waged a struggle under the leadership of Ms Bhutto.

He said the day was being celebrated this year when after winning the February 2008 general elections, the party had formed governments at the centre and in all the federating units with other political parties and the presidency had been retrieved from dictatorship and restored to the democratic governance. “These are great victories of the people of Pakistan and especially of the PPP workers.”

Mr Zardari said that PPP workers had given voice to the voiceless, strength to the weak and the motivation to all to strive for worthy goals no matter what the odds. “The dream of democracy has survived on their sweat, blood and tears,” he added.

The goal of economic emancipation was central to party as its slogan of Roti, Kapra aur Makan still reverberated from the Khyber Pass to the Arabian Sea, he said, adding that dictatorship had failed to take root in Pakistan because it had been confronted by the political awareness created by the PPP.