Benazir Bhutto, the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Photo by SRA Gerald B. Johnson, United States Department of Defense-Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Benazir Bhutto


 

Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who held the positions of 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, respectively. She was born on June 21, 1953, and died on December 27, 2007.

In a nation with a majority of Muslims, she was the first woman to lead a democratic administration. She co-chaired the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) from the early 1980s till her murder in 2007. She was a liberal and secularist in terms of ideology.

Bhutto was a contentious character who still divides people today. She was frequently criticized for her lack of political experience, charged with corruption, and met with strong opposition from Pakistan’s Islamist lobby on her secular and modernizing agenda.

However, in the early stages of her career, she had popularity both at home and abroad since she was a champion of democracy for Western countries.

She achieved political success in a society that was controlled by men, which led to her becoming hailed as a symbol for women’s rights after her death.

These top 10 intriguing facts about Benazir Bhutto will help you discover more about her fascinating life.

1.Bhutto is a chap when it comes to books

She attended Catholic schools in Pakistan. She entered Harvard University’s Radcliffe College at age 16 and earned a cum laude degree in comparative government in 1973.

She went on to Oxford University where she was the first Asian woman to be elected president of the Oxford Union, an elite debating society.

Following her 1977 graduation from Oxford, Bhutto returned to Pakistan hoping to enter the foreign service in the government headed by her father, who was prime minister.

2.Bhutto’s father was the pioneer of Pakistan People’s party

The Pakistan People’s Party was started by her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Between 1971 through 1977, he led Pakistan as president and prime minister. Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq overthrew him in a coup in 1977, and he was put to death in 1979.

3.Benazir’s planned marriage life 

On December 18, 1987, Bhutto wed Asif Ali Ardari, a successful businessman who would eventually go to prison on corruption-related charges. Bhutto did not meet her future spouse until five days before their engagement; the marriage was planned by her mother. Because Benazir Bhutto doesn’t vanish the moment she marries, she chose to preserve her name. I’m not revealing myself. I am my own, and I always will be.

4.Bhutto was the first woman ever to be chosen to lead a Muslim nation

A picture of Ms Benazir Bhutto visiting Ehtesab Commission, Islamabad in 1997 along with other PPP leaders. Photo by Unit111-Wikimedia Commons

Bhutto was the first woman ever chosen to lead a Muslim nation in 1988. According to the Los Angeles Times, Muslim scholar Mohammed Amin Minhas quoted the prophet Mohammed as declaring that “a nation that elects to be controlled by a woman would not thrive.”

After taking the oath of office, Minhas changed her mind. He declared, “Allah has given us this woman as our leader, and Miss Benazir has realized that the new authority she now holds is, in fact, a gift from Allah.

5.Friends of Benazir Bhutto called her Pinky

Enazir Bhutto’s childhood nickname, Pinky, was given to her by her family because she was an exceptionally pink baby. Pinky was how Enazir Bhutto was known to her friends. 

She developed into a sophisticated, beautiful young lady. Unquestionably brave, Benazir. Many people recognize her as a fierce politician who wore both western and traditional Pakistani clothing. 

She had entirely adopted a western perspective. Benazir favoured wearing skirts, sarees, suits, gowns, and dresses. She loved holding parties when she was a teenager and going out to party. 

She is remembered by her Oxford friends as a fun-loving someone who could brighten anyone’s day and make them smile.

6.Margaret Thatcher, a former prime minister, is a role model for Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto, third from right, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, holding her son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Photo by SRA Gerald B. Johnson –Wikimedia Commons

Bhutto once stated that Margaret Thatcher, the “Iron Lady” of Britain, was her role model but added: “ 

Because Khadija, the wife of the prophet of Islam, was a working woman, I have a lot of respect for her as a Muslim woman. 

For many women, Benazir Bhutto served as an example of how to live. Benazir Bhutto is an inspiration to Malala Yousafzai, the young woman who resisted the Taliban in Pakistan and survived a Taliban gunman’s assassination attempt in 2012. She thinks that Bhutto’s life serves as an influence. 

Pakistani women were encouraged to participate in politics by her presence and break out of their shells.

7.After her father’s passing, Bhutto’s family experienced strife

Her family was constantly placed under house arrest after her father was executed by hanging. In the summer of 1981, the then-regime ultimately placed her in solitary confinement in a cell in the Sindh desert. 

She spoke about the circumstances in her cage’s absence of walls in her autobiography, “Daughter of Destiny.” 

“My cell became an inferno due to the summertime heat. My hands’ skin began to break and peel off in sheets. My face started to boil up. My thick hair, which had always been thick, started to fall out in large clumps. Bugs entered the cell like advancing troops.”

Grasshoppers, mosquitoes, stinging flies, wasps, and other insects entered via the open bars and floor crevices from the courtyard. Large black ants, cockroaches, swarms of tiny red ants, and spiders were also present. 

In her book, Benazir writes, “I tried drawing the sheet over my head at night to hide from their bites, pushing it back when it was too hot to breathe.”

8.Bhutto’s opponents were present as she was sworn in

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Ms. Benazir Bhutto in New Delhi. Photo by Government of India-Wikimedia Commons

Mohammed Amin Minhas, an Islamic scholar, used the Prophet Mohammed to argue against Benazir Bhutto’s inauguration as the Prime Minister of an Islamic nation in 1988 before she took the oath of office. 

He declared, “A nation that chooses to have a woman lead it will not succeed.” 

Mohammed Minhas completely changed course when she was sworn in as president. 

“Allah has given us this lady as our leader, and Miss Benazir has realized that this new power she wields is, in fact, Allah’s gift,”  he continued. 

The bold woman who claimed to draw her power from God vanquished everyone who opposed Benazir’s ascension.

9.Benazir Bhutto is a devoted and considerate mother

She was not just a skilled politician but also a devoted wife and mother. 

She gave birth to three children: a son, Bilawal, two daughters, Bakhtawar and Asifa. She made history by giving birth to Bakhtawar while in power, making her the first modern head of state to do so. 

She managed her work and her personal life with equal effectiveness. The most intriguing quality about Benazir was her unwavering independence. 

In addition to carrying out her political duties, she accepted full responsibility for her family. Even the President of Pakistan was frequently irritated by her domineering behaviour.

10.In Rawalpindi, Bhutto was assassinated

Benazir Bhutto, photographed at Chandini Restaurant, Newark, CA. Photo by iFaqeer-Wikimedia Commons

In Rawalpindi, Bhutto was assassinated. Liaquat Bagh was the setting. Ironically, Liaquat Ali Khan, the country’s first prime minister and a key figure in the creation of modern Pakistan, was assassinated in 1951. 

Liaquat passed away from his wounds as he was being taken to the hospital. Benazir also perished from her wounds and had trauma as a result of the incident. 

Her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed by hanging in Rawalpindi in 1979. On December 27, 2007, Benazir Bhutto was shot in Rawalpindi, where she had just left a rally. 

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