Facts From 1988 - Benazir Bhutto Elected As Prime Minister of Pakistan
Benazir Bhutto , daughter of former President and Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was elected in 1988 as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Born in Karachi in 1953 , Bhutto was educated overseas at Harvard and Oxford before returning to Pakistan in 1977 where her father was leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Later that year her father was ousted in a military coup and later tried and executed in 1979 after being found guilty by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for authorising the murder of a political opponent.
Benazir and her mother Nusrat took control of the PPP and started the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy. This lead to Benazir being repeatedly imprisoned by the military government and in 1984 she self-exiled to Britain. However , she returned in 1986 influenced by Thatcher`s UK government and transformed the PPP from a socialist to a liberal agenda.
Two years later in 1988 Benazir`s party won 94 of the 207 seats in the National Assembly and being the biggest seat holder formed a new government. Benazir became the first ever female Prime Minister in a Muslim country. Her attempts to reform the country met strong opposition from the conservatives and islamists - including the President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and the military. Accusations of corruption and nepotism - she appointed her mother and brother-in-law to government positions - were placed against her administration and subsequently Khan dismissed her office in 1990.
Following the dismissal of the government of Nawaz Sharif on corruption charges Benazir returned to power as head of the PPP by winning the 1993 election on a platform of privatisation and women`s rights. Controversy ensued when she ordered the arrest of her brother Murtaza on his return from exile. Murtaza had claimed responsibility for the murder of a conservative politician and the hijacking of a Pakistan airplane. He was later released on bail but was shot dead in a police encounter at his home.
Benazir and her husband Zardari were subsequently involved in a bribery scandal and her government was dismissed again by the President. Benazir again went into exile in 1988. She returned again in 2007 to contest the 2008 election but was assassinated on 27th December 2007.
Know Someone Born in 1988?
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Born in Karachi in 1953 , Bhutto was educated overseas at Harvard and Oxford before returning to Pakistan in 1977 where her father was leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Later that year her father was ousted in a military coup and later tried and executed in 1979 after being found guilty by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for authorising the murder of a political opponent.
Benazir and her mother Nusrat took control of the PPP and started the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy. This lead to Benazir being repeatedly imprisoned by the military government and in 1984 she self-exiled to Britain. However , she returned in 1986 influenced by Thatcher`s UK government and transformed the PPP from a socialist to a liberal agenda.
Two years later in 1988 Benazir`s party won 94 of the 207 seats in the National Assembly and being the biggest seat holder formed a new government. Benazir became the first ever female Prime Minister in a Muslim country. Her attempts to reform the country met strong opposition from the conservatives and islamists - including the President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and the military. Accusations of corruption and nepotism - she appointed her mother and brother-in-law to government positions - were placed against her administration and subsequently Khan dismissed her office in 1990.
Following the dismissal of the government of Nawaz Sharif on corruption charges Benazir returned to power as head of the PPP by winning the 1993 election on a platform of privatisation and women`s rights. Controversy ensued when she ordered the arrest of her brother Murtaza on his return from exile. Murtaza had claimed responsibility for the murder of a conservative politician and the hijacking of a Pakistan airplane. He was later released on bail but was shot dead in a police encounter at his home.
Benazir and her husband Zardari were subsequently involved in a bribery scandal and her government was dismissed again by the President. Benazir again went into exile in 1988. She returned again in 2007 to contest the 2008 election but was assassinated on 27th December 2007.
Know Someone Born in 1988?
Recommended Reading:-
Facts From 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis
Facts From 1943 - Operation Mincemeat
Facts From 1954 - Marilyn Monroe Marries Joe DiMaggio
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