Pakistan People’s Party Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari termed July 5 the darkest day in the history of Pakistan. 

Forty-five years ago, Gen Ziaul Haq seized power and put the country under its third and longest martial law, Bilawal Bhutto said in a statement on the anniversary of toppling Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Bilawal Bhutto said today’s political, economic, and social ills have their genesis in the dark days of General Zia’s dictatorship that promoted sectarianism, extremism, and terrorism in the political and social life of Pakistan.

The PPP leadership and workers were locked up in jails, flogged, and forced into exile, he recalled adding that the people of Pakistan fought hard against General Zia and his aggressive government and still struggled with his thinking and remnants.

The PPP chairman renews his resolve to continue the effort to complete the mission of ZAB to establish a truly democratic setup.