Rezaul H Laskar Islamabad, Dec 26 (PTI) Amidst tight security, Pakistan is set to mark the first death anniversary of the charismatic slain former Premier Benazir Bhutto tomorrow, with thousands of her supporters heading to her tomb in Sindh where her husband President Asif Ali Zardari and son Bilawal are expected to lead the mourners.
The PPP-led government has declared a national holiday tomorrow as a mark of respect for Bhutto, who was killed in a gun-and-suicide attack shortly after she addressed a poll rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on December 27 last year.

The 54-year-old two-time former premier was killed barely two months after she returned to Pakistan from self-exile to lead the PPP's campaign for the general election that brought her party back to power, trouncing the pro-Musharraf PML-Q.

She had earlier survived an attempt on her life by two suicide bombers, hours after her return to the country on October 18 last year.

Thousands of people were already camping near the Bhutto family mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Baksh village in Larkana in southern Sindh province.

Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the co-chairman of PPP, are expected to lead the procession of mourners. Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani is also expected to attend the event.

Several thousand security personnel have been deployed around the tomb of Bhutto to protect the dignitaries.

Rallies have been planned across the country in the memory of Bhutto, with the PPP drawing up plans to hold special events. The government has also issued a 10-rupee coin and stamps bearing her picture. PTI