Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto was the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan and leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Born in 1953, she was the daughter of Pakistani politician and PPP-founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, whose social-democratic government was overthrown by General Zia ul-Haq. She served as Primer Minister from 1988-90 and 1993-6. Her campaigns included promises to reform the hudood ordinances, which criminalize adultery, but she failed to bring about substantial change in the law. After her party’s defeat 1997 she went into exile to avoid corruption charges. Bhutto returned in 2007, but her criticism of radical Islamic groups made her a target for assassination. She was killed in December 2007, along with 20 bystanders, in an attack that took place two weeks before an election in which her party was leading. Al Qaeda took credit for the attack, but many also blame inadequate security measures. Her widower, Asif Ali Zardari, went on to become President of Pakistan.