Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto (born June 21, 1953) became the first woman to lead a Muslim country in modern times when she was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988, only to be deposed 20 months later by the President of Pakistan Ghulam Ishaq Khan using the 8th Amendment to dissolve the parliament and allowing for re-elections within 90 days. She was re-elected in 1993 but was dismissed three years later amid various corruption scandals by the then President of Pakistan Farooq Leghari again using his discretionary powers under the 8th Amendment. Some of these scandals involve contracts awarded to Swiss companies during her regime. She was convicted by a Swiss court and has filed a petition on the decision which remain unresolved. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, has been implicated as well, and remained in jail until November 2004.

Imprisonment, Elections and Exile

After graduating, she returned to Pakistan, but in the course of her father's imprisonment and execution, she was placed under house arrest. Having been allowed in 1984, to go back to the UK, she was leader in exile of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), her father's party, but was unable to make her political presence felt in Pakistan until the death of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.

Related Topics:
Pakistan - UK - Exile - Pakistan Peoples Party - Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq

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Then in the first open election in more than a decade, on November 16, 1988, Benazir's PPP won the single largest bloc of seats in the National Assembly. Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister of a coalition government on December 2, becoming the youngest (35 years old) and first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority state in modern times.

Related Topics:
November 16 - 1988 - National Assembly - Coalition government - December 2

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After being dismissed by the then President of Pakistan under charges of corruption, her party lost the elections held in October 1990. She served as the leader of the opposition while Nawaz Sharif became PM for the next 3 years. Again in October 1993 elections were held which were won by the PPP coalition, thus returning Bhutto back into office till 1996 when once again her government was dismissed on corruption charges.

Related Topics:
1990 - Nawaz Sharif - 1993 - 1996

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Bhutto has lived in self-imposed exile since 1999 when she left Pakistan to avoid arrest in a corruption case.

Related Topics:
1999 - Corruption

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