Benazir Bhutto (1953 – 2007) Prime Minister of Pakistan 1993 – 1996

Introduction

Benazir Bhutto was born on 27th June 1953 in Karachi to a political aristocratic family. After her studies at Harvard University and the University of Oxford, she returned to Pakistan in 1977 before his father’s execution. After her father was expelled, Bhutto and her mother took care of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Before her victory in 1988, she transformed PPP’s platform from a socialist into a liberal one.

Early Life

• Benazir was born in Karachi in Pakistan to Zulficar Ali Bhutto and Begum Nazrat Ispahani. Zulfircar comes from a political family and Benazir was the first child of their parents and named after her aunt's name.

Benazir Bhutto

Description-Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996

Benazir Bhutto figure in Madame Tussaud s Museum, London, United Kingdom

• At first, she studied at Lady Jennings Nursery school and then at Jesus and Mary Convent and passed her O-level in 1968 with a high score.

• From 1969 to 1973, she attended Radcliff College at Harvard University. After finishing her degree, she began another undergraduate degree in philosophy at the University of Oxford in 1973. After three years, she completed her second graduation and stayed to continue her education. She was elected president of the Oxford Union in 1977.

Zia’s Pakistan

• In 1977 Zulfikar Bhutto was brought down in a military coup which was carried out by Muammed Zia-ul-Haq, the chief of army staff. He hung up the constitution and started a regime merged with military rule.

• After that Zulfirkar got arrested for less than a month and released to greet millions of people. In September, he was re-arrested for suspicion of the murder of Muhammad Ahmed Khan Kasuri.

• After his death, Benazir became the co-leader of the party.

• In 1988 Zia called a November election. He suddenly died in an aircraft crash.

First term as Prime Minister

• She was elected Prime Minister in 1988. Bhutto's cabinet was the first of its size in Pakistani history. She was appointed as treasury minister. Her initiatives to develop civil society were instrumental in her success.

• In 1990 her government was dismissed by the President of Pakistan and in 1993 she showed her majority and defeated Sharif.

• The problem that occurred during her period was high unemployment. She struggled to fulfil the promises that she had given during the campaign because of a lack of funding support from the Pakistani state.

• Due to the loss of public confidence, her government was dismissed in 1996.

First Term as Leader of the Opposition

• In 1990 Bhutto failed to show the majority. Thereby she became the leader of the opposition.

• She started to restore support by notifying Sharif’s government of dissatisfaction and Protest.

• Sharif was dismissed under corruption and maladministration.

• Bhutto became a permanent chair of the PPP in 1993. There is a lack of internal democracy in the party called the “Bhutto family party”.

Second term as Prime Minister

• She became the prime minister again in October 1993. During this term, she appointed both her mother and husband.

• She became a member of the council of women world leaders. In this term, she signed Pakistan to the international convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

• She also took over the ministry of finance and also followed privatisation policies given by the former prime minister.

Second term as Leader of the Opposition

• Again in 1997, Sharif was re-elected by electors. He took off the eighth amendment in the constitution and started judicial proceedings against Bhutto.

• In April 1999, she was sent to prison 1998. She was prisoned in 1999, by the bench of the court Ehtesab. And she was disqualified from public office.

• In Sharif’s government, Bhutto was entangled in many cases.

Later Life and Death

• Musharraf lost faith in the United Kingdom and the United States as a result of his inability to rule the government. Bhutto and Sharif formed an alliance and devised a joint strategy to end military rule.

• Musharaff met with Bhutto in January 2007 and made some decisions. It was agreed that if Musharaff resigned from his military position and was elected as a civilian president, Bhutto would serve as his prime minister.

• Musharaff warned Bhutto to be cautious because he, too, had been assassinated. He declared a state of emergency in November, as he had planned with Bhutto.

• On 27^th December after her speech, she left in her bulletproof vehicle. While she stood up throw the car’s escape to wave at the surroundings, suddenly hit by a gunshot by a man at a distance of 2–3 metres.

Ideology

• Bhutto was primarily concerned with promoting democracy and modernization. Her economic policies, privatisation, and market economics were admired.

• She is a staunch advocate for women's rights. She cited Fatimah as a role model for her piety, courage, and wisdom. In addition, she was politically inspired by Indira Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister.

Personal Life

• She had a chameleon-like personality to blend in with the environment. She was also conscious of her appearance while in Pakistan. As a politician, she kept her head covered and avoided shaking hands with men.

• She was also described as a woman of action on behalf of intellectuals.

Public Image and Legacy

• She was a respectful leader in politics and a leading stateswoman, who came from the Islamic world.

• Her legacy was more complicated due to her controversial policies and support. Many universities and airports were named after her.

Conclusion

Bhutto was a great politician who served as prime minister of Pakistan twice. She serves as a wonderful leader, and she died on 27^th December 2007. After her death postage stamps were announced to honour her 55^th birthday.

FAQs

Q1. What is the famous identity of Benazir Bhutto?

Ans. She was the first female prime minister of Pakistan.

Q2. What does the name Benazir refer to?

Ans. The meaning of the name Benazir was “Unique, incomparable, peerless”.

Q3. How many times Bhutto served as a prime minister?

Ans. She was the 11^th and 13^th prime minister of Pakistan during 1988-1990 and 1993-1996.