By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Nowdero (Pakistan) : Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif met late Benazir Bhutto’s husband Asif Zardari Saturday and told her party workers that the slain leader was like his “sister” and was a symbol of national unity.
“Mohtarma (Benazir Bhutto) was the symbol of national unity and was a great leader. She will be remembered for centuries,” Sharif said after offering prayers and laying a floral wreath at her grave, where she was buried Friday, a day after being killed in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi.
Accompanied by 40 opposition leaders from all the four provinces in the country, Sharif visited Bhutto House in Nowdero, near Larkana, 400 km from Karachi, the capital of Sind province. They condoled Bhutto’s death with Zardari and her teenager son Bilawal.
“She was my sister and I share your grief, and am with you in this hour of trial,” he told Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) workers as they shouted “revenge, revenge, revenge”, and raised slogans against President Pervez Musharraf.
Sharif told reporters his visit was just to condole the death of a great leader and that he didn’t discuss the Jan 8 elections PPP leaders.
Angry PPP workers urged Sharif to help them take “revenge for their leader’s murder”.
Assuring them his support, Sharif said despite all political and ideological differences he had always “respected Bhutto like a sister”.
Earlier, Sharif had said he would attend the funeral of Bhutto in Larkana but was stopped by Zardari, who said that there could be a security issue. This was Sharif’s first visit to the area since he joined politics in 1982.
Sharif was also among the first to reach Rawalpindi General Hospital Thursday, only 15 minutes after Bhutto’s death. He was addressing a public rally a few kilometres from Bhutto’s election rally that day. His rally was fired upon, killing four party workers and injuring 10.
Sharif and Bhutto had been bitter rivals since late 1980s when they fought the first election against each other. In Aug 2005 Bhutto took the initiative of meeting him in Jeddah where he was living after being sent into forced exile by President Pervez Musharraf in 2000.