LARKANA: The ninth death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is being observed with solemn remembrance and fond memories today. The party leaders continue pouring into Garhi Khuda Bakhsh while Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Asifa, and Bakhtawar are present at Naudero House.
Born on June 21, 1953 in Karachi Benazir Bhutto completed higher education from Karachi, Oxford, and Harvard universities. When her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who was the then prime minister, was hanged on April 4, 1979 Benazir who was just 25 years old was made the co-chairman of the party. The military junta kept her under house arrest for many years and then exiled her.
Benazir, who kept leading her party while in exile, returned back to the country on April 10, 1986 after the lifting of martial law and reinstatement of political government.
She got married to Asif Ali Zardari on December 18, 1987.
Her biggest political rival Gen Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane accident in August 1988 and her party won the majority seats in elections held on November 16, 1988 and became the prime minister on December 2, 1988. She was the first woman prime minister of Pakistan and also of the Muslim world. Her government lasted for 20 months.
She became the prime minister for the second time in 1993 but this time her government was sacked over allegation of corruption in November 1996. Lahore High Court awarded five-year sentence in April 1999 but she was living in Dubai and thus avoided the sentence,
Her Pakistan Peoples Party contested 2002 general elections under the name of Peoples Party Parliamentarians and secured most vote across the country but the party decided to sit on opposition benches because it had less seats than PML-Q. She continued residing in Dubai.
She returned tocountry on October 18, 2007 after after years but returned back to Dubai after there was a suicide attack on her convoy.
She returned back to the country after emergency was decalred on November 3, 2007.
She was assassinated on December 27, 2007 after addressing public meeting ahead of general election scheduled a few months later.
She was laid to rest by the side of the graves of her father and brothers in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Larkana.
