By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : With a million people expected to gather in Karachi Thursday to greet former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto as she returns home after nine years, the expenses are also likely to be in billions of rupees – perhaps Pakistan’s most expensive welcome party to date.
Hundreds of thousands of workers carrying food and water containers have already started their journey towards Karachi, where the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson lands in an Emirates flight from Dubai Thursday afternoon.
The gathering of the large crowds who have come from all corners – ranging from Skardu in Northern Areas to a contingent of minority Hindus from Umerkot district of Sindh province – was described as a “mini Pakistan” by The Daily Times Wednesday.
“I salute the party workers who are coming to receive me,” Bhutto said at her press conference in Dubai, a day before she lands to what will be a rapturous welcome at the airport.
“The way people are going towards Karachi shows that billions of rupees are being spent on mobilising them and arrangements for their vehicles and food,” said Masood Ansari, a political analyst.
According to reports, hundreds of huge billboards have come up in Karachi and other parts of her home province Sindh, each costing at least Rs.1 million.
Two caravans of buses carrying more than 2,000 people have already left Islamabad and Rawalpindi for the 1,300 km journey to Karachi, though PPP claims the number is much higher.
PPP is considered a grassroots party with hardcore workers ready to make sacrifices for the Bhutto family that has ruled Pakistan for about 12 years since 1972.
Bhutto still holds charisma, though not to the extent that her father, former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, did. Four people committed suicide when her father was hanged during military dictator General Ziaul Haq’s government in 1979.
“There are hundreds of people who are going to Karachi on their own, in smaller groups,” said party leader Pervez Ashraf.
He said it was difficult to count the number but “we know that there would be more than one million people”.
“We haven’t paid for anyone’s travel, people are going on their own… they love their leader,” said Ashraf, a claim that has been challenged by Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
Karachi is adorned with the PPP colours of green, red and black, lifesize portraits of Bhutto and her father and huge billboards and banners welcoming the two-time former prime minister and PPP’s life chairperson.
People with the tricolour on their faces and dressed in party colours can be seen too. Television channels show images of buses, trucks and cars from all around the country travelling to Karachi with huge Bhutto portraits and PPP flags.
The party is also giving commercial ads welcoming Bhutto on prime time on almost all major private channels. These ads are giving PPP slogans for the forthcoming general elections to be held in December or January.
Bhutto is returning to the country despite advice by President General Pervez Musharraf to delay her return until the Supreme Court decides on whether he can continue for another five-year term in presidency.
Bhutto is in power sharing negotiations with Musharraf, though she denies any deal for her return. “I’ve given word to my people and cannot betray them,” she said while rejecting Musharraf’s advice.
However, for the first time the PPP workers have no slogans against PPP rivals as Bhutto is in negotiations with the military dictator and also avoiding criticising her arch-rival Nawaz Sharif, who is also in exile.
Bhutto will reportedly move in a motorcade, and not by helicopter from the airport to Bilawal House, her home at Clifton, the party announced Tuesday.
She will travel in a bulletproof vehicle surrounded by at least 5,000 unarmed party cadres. Dozens of others will be deployed on several buildings along the route with searchlights, mobile phones, wireless sets, telescopes and other security equipment. No law enforcement agency personnel will be allowed in the circle, reported the Daily Times.