Bhutto, Benazir (bĕn'əzĭr` b

`tō), 1953–, prime minister of Pakistan (1988–90; 1993–96), daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Bhutto, Zulfikar Ali (z
..... Click the link for more information. . Radcliffe and Oxford educated, she returned to Pakistan shortly before her father was overthrown by General Zia ul-Haq Zia ul-Haq, Mohammad, 1924–88, Pakistani military and political leader. Named general and chief of staff by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1976, he declared martial law in July, 1977, in response to agitations against election fraud.
..... Click the link for more information. in 1977. Under detention and then in exile, she returned in 1986 to lead the Pakistan People's party (PPP) and opposition to military rule. In Nov., 1988, three months after President Zia ul-Haq died in a plane crash, Bhutto's alliance gained a narrow majority in parliamentary elections, and she became prime minister, the first female leader of a Muslim nation. Her government, marked by continuous intrigue and able to accomplish little, was dismissed by President Gulam Ishaq Khan in Aug., 1990. He accused her, her husband, Asif Ali Zadari, and her party of corruption. Zadari was held (1990–93) on various charges, although eventually acquitted, and the PPP lost the late 1990 elections.

In 1993, Bhutto again became prime minister. Now a more seasoned politician, she made alliances, including those with the military, that enabled her to deal with some of Pakistan's deep-seated problems. In Nov., 1996, though, her government was again dismissed. Zadari was accused of murdering Bhutto's brother, a political rival, as well as of accepting kickbacks, and was imprisoned; sweeping corruption charges were brought against Bhutto. In 1999, Bhutto and Zadari were both convicted of corruption; Bhutto appealed the verdict while living in exile in England and the United Arab Emirates. In 2001 the Pakistani Supreme Court set aside the corruption charges facing Bhutto and Zadari and ordered their retrial, but a Swiss court convicted the couple of money laundering in 2003. Bhutto was barred from running in the 2002 Pakistani parliamentary elections. Zadari was released from prison in 2004, a move that appeared designed to improve the Musharraf government's relations with the PPP.

Bhutto, Benazir

(born June 21, 1953, Karachi, Pak.—died Dec. 27, 2007, Rawalpindi) Pakistani politician, the first woman leader of a Muslim nation in modern history. After receiving an education at Harvard and Oxford, she led the political opposition to Pres. Zia-ul-Haq after the execution of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in 1979. She subsequently endured frequent house arrest (1979–84) and was exiled (1984–86). When Zia died in a plane crash in 1988, she became prime minister of a coalition government. She was unable to do much to combat Pakistan's widespread poverty, governmental corruption, and increasing crime, and her government was dismissed in 1990 on charges of corruption and other malfeasance. A second stint as prime minister (1993–96) ended similarly. In 1999 she was convicted of taking kickbacks from a Swiss company and sentenced in absentia to five years in prison. In October 2007 Bhutto was granted a long-sought amnesty and returned to Pakistan. In December she was killed while campaigning for upcoming elections.