- Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who served as Prime Minister of Pakistan twice.
- She was the first woman to hold the office and the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
- She was assassinated in December 2008, sparking widespread protests and violence in Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan twice, from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996. She was the first woman to hold the office in Pakistan, and was also the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Bhutto was born on June 21, 1953, in Karachi, Pakistan. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was also a prominent Pakistani politician who served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977.
Bhutto received her early education in Pakistan, and then went on to study at Radcliffe College at Harvard University and Oxford University. She returned to Pakistan in 1977, following the military coup that overthrew her father’s government.
Bhutto became active in politics and founded the PPP in 1978. She led the party through a tumultuous period in Pakistani politics, including the military dictatorship of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Bhutto was arrested and imprisoned several times during this period, and was also placed under house arrest.
In 1988, Bhutto was elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to hold the office. She was re-elected in 1993, but her second term was marred by allegations of corruption and mismanagement. Bhutto was eventually dismissed from office in 1996 by President Farooq Leghari.
Bhutto remained a prominent political figure in Pakistan, and continued to lead the PPP. She ran for office again in the 2008 general elections, but was assassinated on December 27 of that year while campaigning in Rawalpindi. Her death sparked widespread protests and violence in Pakistan.
Bhutto’s legacy in Pakistan is complex. On the one hand, she is credited with bringing democracy back to Pakistan after a long period of military rule.
On the other hand, she was also accused of corruption and mismanagement during her time in office. Nevertheless, Bhutto remains an important figure in Pakistani politics and is remembered as a pioneering woman leader in a largely patriarchal society.
