Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari termed slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto a peaceful, prosperous and progressive face of Pakistan.
He said this while unveiling a wax statue of her at the Madame Tussauds in Dubai on Monday.
Bilawal was the guest of honour at the event. He was representing Pakistan as its foreign minister but also the Bhutto family, as the son of the twice-elected prime minister who was assassinated in December 2007.
Unveiling the lifesize replica, Bilawal said that he had first seen the statue in London, but its unveiling in Dubai carried a special meaning for him, given what the city and the Gulf Emirate meant for his family.
"Dubai has a special place in the heart of our family. My mother spent around ten years in Dubai when we were in exile," he explained, adding, "I received my primary and secondary education here in the UAE."
"We have a close attachment to this city and this country," he said, adding that it was thus special how the memory of his mother was being honoured in the form of a grand statue.
"She is a symbol for democracy, for freedom, for equal rights for women across the world for a peaceful, prosperous and progressive face of Pakistan," he added.
Later, in a message posted on Twitter alongside his video of unveiling the statue, Bilawal wrote that he attended the event with "immense pride and humility".
Benazir, he said, is the first Pakistani personality to be commemorated at Madame Tussauds in Dubai.
"The inimitable, the indomitable, the irreplaceable, my mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto," he said, hoping that her statue will serve to inspire generations to come and remind us of the enduring resonance of the values that she lived and fought for – democracy, justice, human rights, the rule of law, compassion, and freedom.
"My family and I, and indeed, all Pakistanis, are profoundly grateful to Madame Tussauds Dubai for honouring Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto's memory and legacy."
https://twitter.com/BBhuttoZardari/status/1685900769231507456
He said this while unveiling a wax statue of her at the Madame Tussauds in Dubai on Monday.
Bilawal was the guest of honour at the event. He was representing Pakistan as its foreign minister but also the Bhutto family, as the son of the twice-elected prime minister who was assassinated in December 2007.
Unveiling the lifesize replica, Bilawal said that he had first seen the statue in London, but its unveiling in Dubai carried a special meaning for him, given what the city and the Gulf Emirate meant for his family.
"Dubai has a special place in the heart of our family. My mother spent around ten years in Dubai when we were in exile," he explained, adding, "I received my primary and secondary education here in the UAE."
"We have a close attachment to this city and this country," he said, adding that it was thus special how the memory of his mother was being honoured in the form of a grand statue.
"She is a symbol for democracy, for freedom, for equal rights for women across the world for a peaceful, prosperous and progressive face of Pakistan," he added.
Later, in a message posted on Twitter alongside his video of unveiling the statue, Bilawal wrote that he attended the event with "immense pride and humility".
Benazir, he said, is the first Pakistani personality to be commemorated at Madame Tussauds in Dubai.
"The inimitable, the indomitable, the irreplaceable, my mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto," he said, hoping that her statue will serve to inspire generations to come and remind us of the enduring resonance of the values that she lived and fought for – democracy, justice, human rights, the rule of law, compassion, and freedom.
"My family and I, and indeed, all Pakistanis, are profoundly grateful to Madame Tussauds Dubai for honouring Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto's memory and legacy."
https://twitter.com/BBhuttoZardari/status/1685900769231507456