Benazir Bhutto (Shaheed)

 

         Benazir Bhutto born on 21 Jun 1953 to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was first woman PM of Pakistan.  She was eldest daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.  Benazir Bhutto received her early education at Lady Jennings Nursery School and Convent of Jesus and Mary Karachi. She also studied at Rawalpindi Presentation Convent for two years, after which she was admitted to Jesus and Mary in Murree. She passed O level examination at the age of 15. In April 1969, she got admitted in Harvard University's Radcliffe College. Benazir Bhutto graduated from Harvard University in 1973 with a degree in political science. She then enrolled at Oxford University, where she did masters in Philosophy, Economics and Political Science. She was very popular with other students at Oxford University.

Benazir returned back country in June 1977 after graduating from United Kingdom with the intention to serve for country's foreign affairs. But two weeks after her arrival in Pakistan, the government was overthrown due to deteriorating conditions. General Zia-ul-Haq sent Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to jail and imposed martial law in the country. At the same time, Benazir Bhutto was kept under house arrest. In April 1979, Supreme Court of Pakistan sentenced Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to death in a controversial murder case.

In 1981, an alliance called the MRD was formed to end martial law and restore democracy. Ghulam Mustafa, who led the movement against the dictatorship on 14 Aug 1983, announced the end of the movement in December 1983, but the people continued their struggle. Benazir was released from prison in 1984, after which she spent two years in exile in Britain. Meanwhile, PPP leaders made him party chief.

When Benazir returned home in April 1986 after martial law was lifted from the country, she was greeted at the Lahore airport. It is estimated that two millions people came to seek her speech at Iqbal Park, Lahore. She then visited all the provinces for rallies / speeches and re-established links with the MRD, taking part in a pro-democracy rally on Independence Day on 14 August.[114] Following the rally, she was again arrested and detained for several weeks in Landhi Jail

In Dec 1987, Benazir Bhutto married Asif Ali Zardari, son of Hakim Ali Zardari. After the wedding, she soon became pregnant with her son, Bilawal. However, at the same time, she did not give up his political struggle.

When Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash on 17 Aug 1988, the door to political change opened in the country. Senate Chairman Ghulam Ishaq was made acting president, who announced elections within 90 days. Subsequently, general elections were held on 16 Nov 1988, and PPP won the largest number of seats in the National Assembly and on 2 Dec 1988, Benazir Bhutto sworn in as country's first female Prime Minister at the age of 35 years. After twenty months, President Ishaq Khan fired her government for widespread corruption in August 1990.

On 2 Oct 1990, new general elections were held in the country during which PML-N  and opposition parties formed an alliance called the Islamic Democratic Alliance, which won majority in the elections. As a result of these elections, PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif became PM. While, Benazir Bhutto became Leader of the Opposition.

 In 1993, then-President Ghulam Ishaq Khan fired Nawaz Sharif's government on corruption charges which followed by general elections in Oct 1993. In these elections PPP and its members won by a narrow majority and Benazir Bhutto once again became PM.

On 20 July 1996, Qazi Hussain Ahmed of Jamaat e Islami announced to start protests against her government alleging corruption. Qazi Hussain resigned from senate on 27 Sep and announced to start long march against Benazir government. Protest started on 27 Oct 1996 by Jamaat e Islami and opposition parties. On 4 Nov 1996, Bhutto's government was dismissed by President Leghari primarily because of corruption, who used the Eighth Amendment discretionary powers to dissolve the government. Benazir was surprised when she discovered that it was not the military who had dismissed her but her own hand-picked puppet President who had used the power to dismiss her. She turned to the Supreme Court hoping for gaining Leghari's actions unconstitutional. But the Supreme Court justified and affirmed President Leghari's dismissal.

In April 1999, Ehtesab Bench Lahore High Court convicted Benazir Bhutto in her absentia and gave her five years prison sentence, an $8.6 million fine, and disqualifying her from public office. Benazir Bhutto was in London at the time of the judgment, and rather than returning to Pakistan she relocated to Dubai with her three children due to long

standing friendship of Bhutto family with Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan where she remained for eight years for five of which her husband remained imprisoned in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto spent much of her time in exile facing corruption charges imposed on her and her husband. During stay at Dubai, she also focused on growing up her children and caring for her mother, whose Alzheimer's disease had progressed to a severe stage. However, it was found during trails that undue political unfairness was imposed on the judges.

Benazir Bhutto returned Pakistan in Oct 2007, arriving in Karachi. While her procession was making its way through a biggest crowd in Karachi, two bombs blasted, which resulted into killing of 149 and 402 injuries however, Benazir Bhutto herself physically remained unharmed.

At the Afternoon of 27 Dec 2007, Benazir Bhutto gave a speech at a PPP rally held in Liaquat National Bagh, Rawalpindi's. On leaving in a bulletproof vehicle, she opened the car's escape hatch and stood up to wave to the surrounding crowds. A man standing within two to three metres of the car fired three gunshots at her and detonated a suicide vest packed with ball bearings. Benazir Bhutto got injured. She was taken to General Hospital Rawalpindi but was she died on arrival and attempts of revival were unsuccessful. Dead body of Shaheed was transported to Chaklala Air Base. The following day, she was buried next to her father in the Bhutto family graveyard at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Larkana.