LARKANA Tens of thousands of Pakistanis massed Friday near the tomb of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto on the eve of ceremonies marking the first anniversary of her killing, officials said.

More than 35,000 people had already arrived in rural southern Pakistan ahead of Saturdays ceremonies at the Bhutto family mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) spokesman Ijaz Durrani told AFP.

People were travelling by train, bus, car, bicycle and even on foot to reach the site, he said. Hundreds of thousands were expected by Saturday.

Bhutto, 54, was assassinated on December 27, 2007 in a gun and suicide attack at an election rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, just two months after returning to Pakistan from exile.

Her killing threw the country into chaos, sparking violence and leading to months of political turmoil that ended in September when her widower Asif Ali Zardari claimed the presidency.

Zardari and their son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who co-chairs the PPP with his father, were expected to lead the procession of mourners on Saturday amid tight security.

Saturdays commemoration ceremony is due to begin at 0900 a.m. with a reading from the Holy Quran. Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani are expected to address the crowd.

About 8,000 police, paramilitary rangers, party workers and volunteers have fanned out around the tomb to protect Zardari, his son and two daughters, Gilani and other dignitaries expected to attend, the PPP spokesman said.

Events in Bhuttos honour will also be held in cities nationwide.

In Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, visitors carried portraits of Benazir Bhutto, and vendors were doing a brisk business in Benazir Bhutto memorabilia, selling posters and CD recordings of her speeches, witnesses told AFP.

Zardari has ordered local officials to arrange for meals for the mourners, Durrani said.

Hundreds of tents have been set up to accommodate those who needed to sleep Friday night near the gravesite, a local police official told AFP.

The government has declared Saturday a national holiday in honour of the charismatic, Oxford-educated Bhutto, the first woman to lead a Muslim nation.

One year on, Pakistans reverence for the two-time former premier continues unabated — television programmes about her life have been running for days, and the government has issued a 10-rupee coin and stamps bearing her portrait.

The home minister of southern Sindh province, Zulfiqar Mirza, has warned of the possibility of violence linked to the Bhutto commemorations, but provincial spokesman Waqar Mehdi said authorities had taken appropriate steps.

We realise the gravity of the situation and thus we are taking all possible foolproof measures to avoid terrorism at the anniversary of the death of our leader, who herself was also a victim of such a savage act, Mehdi said.

A special security wall has been erected around the mausoleum as part of a raft of precautions taken to safeguard Zardari. Closed-circuit cameras have been installed, and mourners will have to pass through metal detectors.