Benazir Bhutto was the first woman to lead a Muslim-majority state, serving as Pakistan's Prime Minister twice. Born in 1953, she faced numerous political challenges, including her father's execution, her own periods of house arrest, and allegations of corruption. Bhutto's life ended tragically when she was assassinated in December 2007 during an election rally, shocking her supporters and prompting widespread protests.

1. BRIEF HISTORY OF LEGEND
By,
ADNAN MURAD BHAYO
(former Vice President)
Peoples Students Federation
Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology
Unit, Karachi
MUHTARMA
BENAZIR BHUTTO

2. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani
politician who chaired the Pakistan Peoples
Party (PPP), a centre-left political party in
Pakistan. Bhutto was the first woman elected to
lead a Muslim state, having twice been Prime
Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996)

3. Benazir Bhutto was born on June
21, 1953, at Karachi's Pinto Hospital,
Pakistan.
She was the eldest child of former
Premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and and
Begum Nusrat Bhutto.
She had three younger siblings
Murtaza, Shahnawaz and Sanam.

4. Benazir went to school in Karachi through
high school. She passed her O-level
examinations at the age of 15.
She then went on to complete her A-
Levels at the Karachi Grammar School
From 1969 to 1973 she attended Radcliffe
College in the United States. Between
1973 and 1977 she took a wide variety of
courses in international law and
diplomacy, economics, philosophy and
politics

5. Benazir Bhutto’s father, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto, was removed from office following a
military coup in 1977 led by the then chief of
army General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who
imposed martial law.
General Zia charged Mr. Bhutto with conspiring to
murder the father of dissident politician Ahmed
Raza Kasuri. Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sentenced
to death by the martial law court.
After the overthrow of her father Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s
government in a bloodless coup Benazir Bhutto spent 6 years in and out of
house arrest as she struggled to rally political support to force Zia to drop
murder charges against her father..

6. In January 1984, after six years of house
arrests and imprisonment, Zia succumbed to
international pressure and allowed Bhutto
to travel abroad for medical reasons.
After undergoing a surgery she resumed her
political activities and began to raise
concerns about the mistreatment of political
prisoners in Pakistan at the behest of Zia
regime.
The military dictator ignored worldwide
appeals for clemency and had Zulfikar
Bhutto hanged in 4 April 1979

7. She came back to Pakistan to attend
burial ceremony when her younger
brother Shah Nawaz died under
mysterious circumstances in July 1984 in
Paris.
She got married Asif Ali Zardari on 18
December 1987 in Karachi.
The couple had three children: two
daughters Bakhtawar and Asifa and a
son named Bilawal.

8. On 16 November 1988, in the first open election in more than a
decade, Bhutto’s PPP won the largest bloc of seats in the National
Assembly. Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister of a coalition
government on December 2, becoming at age 35 the youngest
person—and the first woman—to head the government of a
Muslim-majority state in modern times

9. Bhutto’s government was dismissed in 1990
following charges of corruption, for which she
was never tried. Zia’s protégé Nawaz Sharif
came to power after the October 1990
elections. She served as leader of the
opposition while Sharif served as Prime
Minister for the next three years.
In October 1993 elections were held again and
her PPP coalition was victorious, returning
Bhutto to office and allowing her to continue
her reform initiatives.
In 1996, amidst various corruption scandals
Bhutto was dismissed by then-president
Farooq Leghari, who used the Eighth
Amendment discretionary powers to dissolve
the government

10. After her defeat in the general elections
of 1997, Benazir, along with her children,
moved to Dubai because of a voluntary
exile in the year 1999.
She again returned to Pakistan after
almost 9 years in 2007 during the time
when General Pervez Musharraf was
present.
The only reason she agreed to return was
that all the allegations that she were
facing had been removed through a
controversial presidential order under the
name of NRO – National Reconciliation
Ordinance.

11. Arriving back to Pakistan was indeed a huge threat to
her life but nevertheless she returned to the delight
of millions of PPP supporters and fans. Her core
reason to return was her wish to participate in the
upcoming general elections of 2008.

12. She landed on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport on 18 October
2007 and was welcomed by thousands of supporters. Sadly on her
way to Bilawal House her processiontwo-suicide bombers blew
themselves resulting in over hundred deaths and leaving around 450
people injured. Benazir remained unharmed as she as at that time
was resting inside a bulletproof vehicle.

13. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on the 27 of December 2007 while she was
departing from an election rally that was held at the Liaquat National Bagh in
the city of Rawalpindi. The incident occurred when she lifted herself out of
her bulletproofvehicle in order to gesticulate to her fans and well wishers. As
her head came into view an unknown person fired multiple shots, aiming at
her head. At that moment explosions were also ignited resulting in the
deaths of nearly 20 people including three security personals. Unfortunately
she was significantly injured and was immediately rushed to the Rawalpindi
General Hospital she died during treatment.

14. Her death shocked millions of her supporters worldwide and caused
protests all through the country

15. May Allah rest her soul in peace