ISLAMABAD, Nov 13 The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Thursday finalized a comprehensive month-long plan to commemorate Benazir Bhutto's first death anniversary and announced a public holiday on December 27.

Starting from November 30, the month-long activities include a series of seminars, conventions, public meetings and issuance of a commemorative postal stamp and a coin to pay tributes to late chairperson of the party and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The plan to commemorate Benazir's death anniversary and the party's foundation day falling on November 30 was announced by PPP secretary general Jahangir Badar while briefing reporters after a joint meeting of the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) and Federal Council (FC) held at the Prime Minister House here on Thursday,

Besides this, the party has also decided to hold a public meeting at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi where Benazir was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack soon after addressing an election rally on December 27, last year. The party is also arranging an international conference in Islamabad to pay tributes to the services of Ms Bhutto for the cause of democracy in the country.
The dates of the proposed Liaquat Bagh public meeting and international conference will be announced later.

It has also been decided that commemorative postal stamp and a special coin will also be issued to mark the occasion. Moreover, the party has also declared that Benazir Bhutto will be nominated for a Nobel prize in recognition of her services for democracy. Besides this, workers' conventions and seminars will also be organized in all cities of Pakistan.

Replying to a question, Mr Badar said there was no constitutional requirement under which a president was required to quit a party office. He, however, said the decision whether to quit the office of the party co-chairperson would be made by President Asif Zardari himself.   

Earlier, presiding over the meeting of the CEC and FC members, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the PPP had a unique status among the political parties of South Asia as its leadership as well as workers had made innumerable sacrifices for the cause of democracy. He said the government considered it its responsibility to implement the vision of its late leaders.

Mr Gilani said it was for the first time that the Leader of the Opposition had been made chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The prime minister said the PPP leadership and workers had given great sacrifices in the struggle for the restoration of deposed judiciary. He also made reference of Israr Shah, who lost both his legs in this struggle.
Mr Gilani said the two biggest challenges confronting the present government were to meet the threat of terrorism and to revive the economy. Both the issues, he said, were inter-related as bomb blasts triggered the flight of capital from the country.

The prime minister said the victory of Asif Ali Zardari as president by two-third majority and his own as prime minister by a unanimous vote was a clear manifestation of the confidence of the entire nation in the policies and leadership of the PPP. He asked the members of the CEC, which also include federal and provincial ministers, to focus on the provision of basic health and education facilities in their areas in addition to increasing employment and income generation opportunities.