Biography of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, Success Story of a Legend, Interesting Facts, Life Style, Political Career & Personal Life
Lets read the biography of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, the youngest Prime Minister of Pakistan. Late Benazir Bhutto was a famous Pakistani politician who served as PM of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and then again from 1993 to 1996. She was the first female leader of a Muslim majority nation, and was Pakistan’s first and only female Prime Minister. Bhutto was assassinated in 2007, shortly after she had returned to Pakistan from exile. A noted human rights advocate, Benazir was true leader of poor. Benazir Bhutto made significant changes to Pakistan’s economy and government structure.
Early Life, Education & Biography of Benazir
Bhutto was born in Karachi on June 21, 1953, into a wealthy landowning family. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977, and her mother, Nusrat Bhutto, was First Lady of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977. Nusrat Bhutto, was a Iranian-born Pakistani political activist. Bhutto was educated at the University of Oxford and the Harvard University.
Benazir Bhutto & COD (Charter of Democracy)
The Charter of Democracy (CoD) is an agreement signed by the two main political parties in Pakistan the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) on 14 May 2006 in London. The CoD contains 62 clauses and touches upon all aspects of democracy including civilian control over the military an independent judiciary free and fair elections media freedom rights for women and minorities and provincial autonomy. COD was an initiative of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Foreign Policy of Benazir Bhutto
The foreign policy of Benazir Bhutto was marked by a strong commitment to Pakistan’s regional role and continued support for the Afghan mujahideen in their fight against the Soviet-backed Afghan government. Bhutto also worked to improve relations with Pakistan’s nuclear rival India and her government played a key role improvement of Pakistan’s relations with USA and western countries. She also developed close ties with other Muslim countries particularly Iran Libya and Syria. She imported the missile technology from North Korea.
Political Career of Benazir Bhutto
Bhutto entered politics in 1979, shortly after the military coup that toppled her father’s government. She became the vice chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and started her struggle against the military regime. After the assasination of her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto was placed under house arrest. Bhutto was eventually allowed to leave the country, and she went into exile in the United Kingdom. Bhutto remained in exile until 1986, when she was allowed to return to Pakistan. In 1988, she again became the PPP’s candidate for Prime Minister, and this time she was elected. As Prime Minister, Bhutto faced several challenges, including an ongoing war with neighboring Afghanistan and a nuclear arms race with India.
Benazir Bhutto Biography, Achievements, Facts, Family Life, Political Ideology
She played a central role in the PPP’s victory in the Pakistani general election, 1988. Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister on 2 December 1988, becoming the first Muslim woman to head a Muslim state, but was dismissed from office 20 months later on corruption charges. During her first premiership, Bhutto’s government implemented a series of economic and social reforms, including introduce new labour laws, privatize state-owned industries and reduce the powers of the Presidency. Bhutto also initiated a process of de-nationalization and privatization. However, her administration was accused of corruption and nepotism. In 1990, Bhutto’s government was toppled by then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan.
In 1993, Bhutto was re-elected as Prime Minister, and served until 1996. During her second term as Prime Minister, Bhutto faced additional challenges, including an economic crisis and increasing militancy in Pakistan. In 1996, Bhutto was again accused of corruption,nepotism, and human rights abuses and she was removed from government by her own President Farooq Ahmad Laghari.
In 1999, Bhutto went into self-imposed exile to avoid facing trial on corruption charges. She returned to Pakistan in 2007, and was assassinated the following year.
Benazir Bhutto was a controversial political figure. Her supporters praised her as a champion of democracy and an icon of the fight against military dictatorship. Her detractors accused her of corruption and nepotism.
Bhutto remained an outspoken critic of Musharraf’s military regime. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, after addressing a rally in Rawalpindi. Benazir was 54 years old at the time of her assassination. Her death was a blow to democracy in Pakistan and her legacy is still disputed.
Personal Life of Benazir Bhutto
Bhutto was married to Asif Ali Zardari, a former president of Pakistan, and they had three children together. Their one and only son, Bilawal Bhutto, is the current chairman of the PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party).
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the current chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) a centre-left political party in Pakistan. He is the son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Asif Ali Zardari. Bilawal was educated at Oxford University where he read Philosophy Politics and Economics. He has also completed his Masters in International Relations from Harvard University.
Bilawal entered politics after the assassination of his mother in 2007 and became chairperson of the PPP at the age of 19. He has since led the party in both general elections in 2008, 2013 and 2018. Bilawal is a vocal critic of Pakistan’s military establishment and has called for greater civilian oversight of the armed forces. At present he is serving as foreign minister of Pakistan.
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari S/O Hakim Ali Zardari is a renowned Pakistani politician, who served as the 11th President of Islamic Republic Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. A close associate of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto Zardari rose to prominence after her assassination in 2007. He was elected as the President of Pakistan on 6 September 2008 a position he held until his impeachment on charges of corruption in 2012.
Benazir as Leader & Politician
Benazir was most popular female leader leader of Pakistan after Fatima Jinnah. She broke the status quo in the politics of Pakistan. She was a leader with a vision and commitment. She did not support the militancy of her brothers and Taliban. She was true believer of democracy. She defeated the establishment on various occasions. She learned from her mistakes and signed COD with Nawaz Sharif for peaceful coexistence in politics of Pakistan. She believed in enlightened moderation. She was a crowd puller. She believed in supremacy of constitution and independence of judiciary. Her biography is a best seller book.
Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister of Pakistan
As Prime Minister of Pakistan she released all political prisoners. She launched people’s works program for development of underdeveloped areas. Press was given freedom in her regime. Private tv stations were launched in her era. She was founder of missile program of Pakistan. She tried to develop good relationships with India. As PM she redefined the foreign policy of Pakistan by giving equal importance to all super powers. Benazir controlled the electricity crisis in the country. Benazir income support scheme is her legacy.
Benazir Bhutto and Missile Program of Pakistan
Bhutto’s government made important strides in Pakistan’s missile program. In 1989 Bhutto approved a five-year plan to develop nuclear weapons. The program accelerated under her successor Nawaz Sharif and by 1998 Pakistan had successfully tested nuclear weapons.
Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are the two largest and most influential political parties in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan was from the PPP while Nawaz Sharif who also served as Prime Minister on three occasions was from the PML-N. The relationship between Bhutto and Sharif was a complex one marked by cooperation and conflict.
During their time in power both Bhutto and Sharif implemented policies that favored their own constituencies. This led to tension between the two leaders as they competed for resources and political power. However they were also able to work together on some occasions such as when they signed the charter of democracy (COD).
Political Ideology of Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto’s political ideology can be classified as social democracy. She believed in a society that guaranteed equality of opportunity and social justice. Bhutto also advocated for women’s rights minority rights and religious tolerance. Benazir was a true democrat and defender of human rights. In her views she was liberal and secular. Democracy is the best revenge was her slogan. She was strictly against the interference of establishment in politics.
Achievements
Bhutto was the recipient of several awards and honours, including the UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights 2008, freedom prize 1988 and many other international awards for her struggle for democracy. She was also the first democratically elected female head of state in a Muslim-majority country.
Thank you for reading about the late Benazir Bhutto. Shaheed Bhutto was an exemplary leader and will always be remembered for her dedication to Pakistan. If you would like to learn more about her life and legacy please visit the wikipedia. If you like to read the articles on biography of leaders then do read our following post too;
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