Hakim Ali Zardari

Hakim Ali Zardari (Balochi: بلوچ ) (1930 - 24 May 2011, Urdu: حاکم علی زرداری‎) was born to Muhammad Hussain Zardari and was the grandson of Sajawal Zardari. He belonged to the Zardari family, a Baloch family of Hooth Baloch origin settled in Sindh. He was the father of former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and father in law of late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Hakim Ali Zardari was married to Dr. Zareen Ara Zardari and to Bilquis Sultana Zardari.

Well known as Rais Hakim Ali Khan, he was a landlord by birth and the head of the Zardari tribe. He had been involved in Pakistani politics since the 1960s and had served as a federal minister twice.

A Sindhi Tribal Head

As the largest landowner of his tribe, he was selected as tribal chief after his father's death. He owned thousands of acres of farmland in Sakrand, Nawabshah.

Zardari Tribe

Around 1985 Zardari tribe consisted over 70,000 People whereas Hakim Ali Zardari was the Tribal Head till death after 2011 Asif Zardari transferred it to his son as a fatherly gesture to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

District Nazim (Mayor) Nawabshah

Hakim Ali Zardari was elected as the District Nazim of Nawabshah in 1965 local bodies elections. He supported Fatima Jinnah in the 1965 presidential elections and she won a clear victory in Nawabshah District.

Vice Mayor of Mirpurkhas Division

Hakim Ali Zardari was elected the Vice Mayor of Division MirpurKhas which means he was second in command of the Division.

National political career

Originally he was a member of Awami National Party. He was the Vice President of ANP and President of the Sindh Chapter of ANP. Then he became a member of the Pakistan People's Party, he later joined the National Democratic Party. He rejoined the Pakistan People's Party in the 1980s during Zia's Era and was active in the early 1990s in politics. He was the father of the ex president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. He faced many cases of corruption during 1990 and 2000.

Children

Hakim Ali Zardari's four children are Asif Ali Zardari, Fouzia Zardari, Azra Peechoho and Faryal Talpur. Except Fouzia Zardari, all of them are actively involved in politics of Pakistan. He also had an adopted son Owais Muzaffar Tappi. He was the president of ANP(Sindh).

Death

Hakim Ali Zardari was admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in March following multiple organ failure. He died in the hospital on 24 May 2011 at age 81. He had twice served as the Chairman of Public Accounts Committee. ^[1]

His funeral prayers were offered on 25 May 2011 in Zardari House Nawabshah and is buried at his ancestral graveyard Baalu-Ja-Qubba, some 10km from Nawabshah.. His soyem (third day prayers) was held on 26 May 2011 in the lawns of Zardari House, Nawabshah. His chehlum (40th day prayer after death) was held on 8 July 2011 at the Presidency in Islamabad.^[2]

References

• Hakim Ali Zardari dies at 81 - The Nations
• Hakim Ali Zardari Interview
• Hakim Ali Zardari Views on Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah - kalam.tv
• Profile: Asif Ali Zardari By Syed Shoaib Hasan BBC News Last Updated: Tuesday, 1 January 2008, 11:46 GMT
• Death of Zardari’s mother condoled (Wednesday, 13 November 2002)