Meet Aseefa, Late Pak PM Benazir Bhutto's Daughter Takes Oath As MP

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, the daughter of Pakistan's former PM Benazir Bhutto and incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari took her oath as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) on April 15. She was elected unopposed on March 29 from NA-207 Shaheed Benazirabad (formerly Nawabshah), which was previously occupied by her father. She and her brother, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, arrived at the Parliament to administer her oath by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. During the swearing-in meeting, the MNAs associated with the opposition, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), began sloganeering and caused a ruckus, forcing treasury lawmakers to walk out in protest.

The PTI protestors alleged that its candidate for NA 207, Ghulam Mustafa Rind, was supposed to contest against Bhutto-Zardadi in the by-elections but was arrested by the Sakrand police. Meanwhile, the PPP celebrated her win as a "historic moment for Pakistan's parliamentary democracy," as Central Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi remarked.

Who Is Aseefa Bhutto Zardari?

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari is President Asif Zardari's daughter from his marriage with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Bhutto, who was the first female Prime Minister of the country who served from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996, was assassinated in 2007. The 31-year-old is their youngest daughter and has been a well-known figure in Pakistan politics.

On March 10, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Zardari was sworn in as the 14th President of Pakistan, officially taking over as the head of the state for a historic second time. Earlier, he served as Pakistan's President from 2008 to 2013. Local reports had stated that Aseefa was set to be the First Lady after his recent election.

When Asif Ali was elected in 2008, the position of First Lady remained empty as his wife Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in the previous year. Making her political debut in November 2020, Aseefa was actively involved in the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) electoral campaign ahead of the February 8 polls. 

While President Zardari attempted to involve all three of his children, son Bilawal, and daughters Bhaktawar and Aseefa, in the PPP, only the youngest sibling showed an inclination to politics. According to Dawn, Aseefa has been seen alongside her father more often than her brother Bilawal, who briefly served as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and sister Bhaktawar. 

She has actively led several political ceremonies, addresses, galas, and rallies, including participation in Bilawal's election campaign when he was the party’s candidate for the Prime Minister’s post. Moreover, in 2012, an 18-year-old Aseefa accompanied her father to visit social rights activist Malala Yousafzai in Birmingham where the schoolgirl was being treated after she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for “promoting secularism.”

Aseefa has also been the polio eradication ambassador in Pakistan during which she ran campaigns to fight the disease, met the officials concerned, and visited the affected families, making a big social impact and garnering public attention. 

Aseefa got a master’s degree in Public Health from University College London and was the youngest Pakistani to ever address the Oxford Union at the age of 21. She also has a big social media presence, with over 29 lakh followers on Twitter, over 4 lakh followers on Facebook, and over 2 lakh followers on Instagram.