Life of Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto was an eminent figure in the politics of Pakistan. She was the chairperson of the Pakistan People's Party and the first female who led a Muslim state by serving as the Prime Minister for two terms. Let us take a look at the life of this woman who, in her times, had a great influence on the political scenario of Pakistan.

Benazir Bhutto was born on June 21, 1953, in Karachi, Pakistan. Begum Nusrat Ispahani and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, her parents, were both active in politics. Benazir's father, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, had been removed from office by unfair means. He was charged with planning to murder Ahmed Raza Kasuri, a Pakistani politician and was hanged on April 4, 1979. Shahnawaz, Benazir's brother was killed in France. Benazir Bhutto married Asif Ali Zardari on December 18, 1987.

Benazir was a student of the Lady Jennings Nursery School and later the Convent of Jesus and Mary, an all-girls school located in Karachi. Two years later, she became a student of Jesus and Mary Convent in Murree. She completed her early education in Pakistan and went to the United States for higher studies.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from Radcliffe College at the Harvard University, she got an opportunity to be a part of the Phi Beta Kappa. According to her, the years she spent at the Harvard were the happiest years of her life.

She went to the United Kingdom in pursuit of further studies. She studied politics, philosophy, and economics and took up courses in international law and diplomacy. She got the opportunity to preside the Oxford Union.

After returning from the United Kingdom, she had to take over her father's party. In 1988, Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party won the largest number of seats in the National Assembly. On December 2, during the same year, she became the Prime Minister of a coalition government. In 1989, she won the Prize for Freedom from the Liberal International. On claims of being involved in corruption, Benazir's government was dismissed in 1990. In 1993, Benazir regained her position and again faced dismissal in 1996.

In 2007, she had planned to contest the parliamentary elections. During the month of November, of the same year, President Pervez Musharraf became the civilian President and removed the state of emergency in Pakistan. Bhutto had plans for uplifting her people in terms of education and she aimed at establishing social equality in Pakistan. She was going to focus on energy and environmental issues in the nation. Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif came together to plan for the formation of a committee that would present a list of demands to Musharraf before participating in the elections.

Before things could take shape, Benazir Bhutto was killed. While leaving from Liaquat National Bagh on December 27, 2007, after delivering a speech at a campaign rally for the PPP, she was shot. The firing was followed by a blast that killed around 20 other people. The firing left her severely wounded after which she was taken to a hospital, where she was declared dead.

In the death of Benazir Bhutto, the world has lost a talented woman of valor.