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Pakistan Marks Benazir Bhutto’s 18th Anniversary With High-Security Rallies and Tougher Rhetoric on India

Authorities also set a January 1 start for social‑media monitoring to curb sales of smuggled goods.

Overview

  • At Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, President Asif Ali Zardari lauded recent military responses against India and warned that Pakistan would answer any future aggression.
  • PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pledged to carry forward Benazir Bhutto’s mission, as organizers reported about 8,500 police deployed to secure the memorial gathering.
  • A government delegation led by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq attended the ceremony, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi urged activation of a street movement after what he called a ‘freedom or death’ message from jail.
  • The Federal Board of Revenue said it will begin monitoring social‑media accounts on January 1 to identify sellers of smuggled and non‑duty‑paid goods, issue notices, and pursue enforcement at shops and warehouses.
  • Police and public‑safety updates included Islamabad recovering a 14‑year‑old abducted boy with one arrest, Faisalabad’s Canal Road crash leaving two dead with intoxicated ambulance occupants detained, and Florida officials reporting a murder‑suicide with a 13‑year‑old daughter in critical but stable condition.