Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
بلاول بھٹو زرداري
Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party
Assumed office
30 December 2007
Preceded by Benazir Bhutto
Personal details
Born (1988-09-21) 21 September 1988
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Nationality Pakistani
Political party Pakistan Peoples Party
Parents Asif Ali Zardari
Benazir Bhutto
Relatives Zardari family (by father)
Bhutto family (by mother)
Residence Bilawal House, Karachi
Alma mater University of Oxford
Occupation Politician
Website PPP website

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (Sindhi: بلاول ڀٽو زرداري‎; Urdu: بلاول بھٹو زرداری‎; born 21 September 1988) is a British-Pakistani politician who serves as the Leader of the centre-left Pakistan Peoples Party.[1][2][3]

Born in Karachi, to two politically prominent families of Pakistan, the Bhutto family and the Zardari family, he is the son of the President Asif Ali Zardari and the Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the grandson of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his wife, Iranian immigrant Nusrat Bhutto.

Zardari received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from the Christ Church–University of Oxford. He was made the ceremonial head of Pakistan People's Party after his mother's assassination in 2007, and in 2014 he took over the control of the party from his father.[4][5][6] Zardari intends to run for a seat in the National Assembly from NA-204 (Larkana) in early 2017 through a by-election.[7][8]

Early life and education

Zardari was born at Lady Dufferin Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan on 21 September 1988, as the first of three children of future Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari who later became the President of Pakistan in 2008. He was only three months old when his mother, Benazir Bhutto became the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988. He has two sisters Bakhtawar and Aseefa.[9] He is the grandson of former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his second wife Nusrat Bhutto through her mother's side. His paternal grandfather Hakim Ali Zardari, and aunts Azra and Faryal are all politicians.[10]

Zardari was admitted to Aitchison College, Lahore, but due to security threats he moved to Karachi Grammar School and later attended Froebel's International School in Islamabad.[11] His father was in jail in Pakistan from 1996 to 2004 for corruption charges. He left Pakistan with his mother and sisters in April 1999.[12] He spent his childhood in Dubai and London during his family's self-exile.[10] He later attended Rashid School For Boys in Dubai, where he was Vice President of the student council.[13] He has a black belt in Taekwondo but regrets he could not play cricket because of his family circumstances.[10]

In 2007, Bilawal Zardari enrolled at Christ Church, a constituent college of the University of Oxford. He studied British history and later transitioned to study general history.[9] Zardari also enrolled in the Oxford Union debating society.[14] In December 2007, he returned to Pakistan after Benazir was assassinated. He also returned to Pakistan in September 2008 to witness his father sworn in as President of Pakistan.[15] Bilawal completed his education in June 2010.[16][17][18][19]

Political career

Benazir Bhutto carrying Bilawal at Andrews Air Force Base upon her arrival for a state visit to the United States in 1989

After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, her political will declared Asif Ali Zardari as Bhutto's successor for party leadership.[20][21][22] However, Zardari became Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party because the elder Zardari favoured him to represent Bhutto's legacy in part to avoid division within the party due to the elder Zardari's own unpopularity.[20][21][23] Zardari planned to act as co-chairman of the PPP for at least three years until the younger Zardari completed his studies overseas.[20][22][23]

Zardari was appointed chairman of the PPP on 30 December 2007.[24] Asif Zardari also announced his son's name change from "Bilawal Zardari" to "Bilawal Bhutto Zardari".[25] At that time he was still studying at Oxford.[26] It had been estimated that Zardari's security at Oxford may cost at least one million pounds each year.[27]

In 2011, Zardari returned to Pakistan[28] and became more actively involved in Pakistan politics, notably when his father went for medical care to Dubai in December 2011.[29] In May 2012, Bilawal Zardari stated that Pakistan asked the Interpol to issue a "red warrant" against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in relation to his mother’s assassination case.[30] He made his major public speech on 27 December 2012, which marked the fifth death anniversary of his mother.[31] In 2011, it was announced that Zardari would be the next Chief of the Zardari tribe as his father Asif Ali Zardari passed on the title to Zardari rather than becoming the Tribal Chief himself after the death of his father Hakim Ali Zardari.[32] In 2013 Zardari turned 25, thus becoming eligible to run for the National Assembly, as the Pakistan Constitution requires the minimum age of lawmakers to be 25. Asif Ali Zardari rejected the notion that Zardari might run for the by-election seat but said that he will contest the next general election due in 2018.[33]

Ideology

According to Dawn, Bilawal possesses a "decidedly more liberal and secular ideology".[34] On 11 January 2011, Bilawal strongly criticized and condemned the murder of Salmaan Taseer over his objection of the blasphemy law.[35] On December 4, 2016, Bilawal proposed an alliance of liberal parties for 2018 elections.[36] On October 31, 2016, Bilawal joined Karachi's Hindu community in celebrating Diwali,[37] and on 25 December 2016 he visited the Saint Patrick's Cathedral to mark Christmas celebrations.[38]

While addressing the party workers in Multan region in Punjab on 19 September 2014, Zardari proclaimed that he would take all of Kashmir from India, without explaining how he proposed to do so.[39] “I will take back Kashmir, all of it, and I will not leave behind a single inch of it because like the other provinces, it belongs to Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying.[40] The statement drew sharp criticism in neighbouring India. A group calling themselves the Indian Hackers Online Squad replaced the PPP's official website's homepage with messages ridiculing Zardari for his comments, and stating that “[You] will never get Kashmir”.[41]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bhutto's son launches political career". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Bilawal Bhutto Zardari: The new hope for Pakistan’s future – The Express Tribune Blog". blogs.tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "Who Is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari And Why Will The Teen Assume His Assassinated Mother's Post?". MTV News. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  4. ↑ Dawn.com (10 May 2015). "Bilawal Bhutto graduates from Oxford with MA degree". www.dawn.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "Profile: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Masood, Salman (19 October 2014). "Bhutto’s Son Tries to Revive the Pakistan Peoples Party’s Fortunes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "Son Rise in Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto to Take Political Plunge". News18. 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  8. ↑ "Bilawal and I will contest elections to be a part of this Parliament: Zardari - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  9. 1 2 "Profile: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari". Telegraph. 31 December 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 "Benazir's son regrets he couldn't play cricket". The Times of India. 30 December 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  11. ↑ "PPP chairman Bilawal leaves for Oxford". Sify News. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  12. ↑ Masood, Salman (23 November 2004). "After 8 Years in Jail, Husband of Bhutto Is Free". nytimes.com. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  13. ↑ Robinson, Simon (29 December 2007). "Bhutto's Successor". Time. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  14. ↑ Britten, Nick (1 January 2008). "Security assessment for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari". Telegraph. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  15. ↑ Wilkinson, Isambard (9 September 2008). "Benazir Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari sworn in as Pakistan president". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2008.
  16. ↑ "Profile: Bilawal Bhutto". BBC. 30 December 2007. Archived from the original on 1 January 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  17. ↑ Britten, Nick (1 January 2008). "Security assessment for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  18. ↑ Sengupta, Somini (31 December 2007). "Opposition Parties Vow to Proceed With Jan. 8 Election". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
  19. ↑ Sehri, Inam R (2015). Living History of Pakistan (2011-2013). Vol. 1. Surrey, UK: Grosvenor House Publishing. pp. 1519–19. ISBN 1786237059. OCLC 933437979.
  20. 1 2 3 "Bhutto's Son, Husband To Lead Party". cbsnews.com. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  21. 1 2 Walsh, Declan (1 January 2008). "Zardari Rejects Claim of Al-Qaida Link to Bhutto's Murder". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  22. 1 2 Sengupta, Somini (31 December 2007). "Opposition Parties Vow to Proceed With Jan. 8 Election". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  23. 1 2 "What's the Deal with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari?". NPR. 31 December 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  24. ↑ "Bhutto's Son Given Top Party Job". Sky News. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  25. ↑ Walsh, Declan (31 December 2007). "My mother said democracy is best revenge — Bhutto son". London: The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
  26. ↑ "Key party role for Bhutto's son". The Press Association. 30 December 2007. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  27. ↑ "Bilawal's security to cost Britain 1 million pounds". Rediff. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
  28. ↑ "Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP". ppp.org.pk. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  29. ↑ Jason Burke (13 December 2011). "Zardari treated for stroke as son Bilawal is groomed for power in Pakistan". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  30. ↑ "Pakistan has asked Interpol to issue red warrant for Musharraf: Bilawal". The News. Islamabad. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  31. ↑ "Bhutto's son makes debut in Pakistan politics". Al Jazeera. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  32. ↑ "Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to be new chief of Zardari tribe Formal tribal ceremony of Dastar Bandi". asianetpakistan.com. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  33. ↑ "Bilawal qualifies to become MNA". The Nation. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  34. ↑ "Bilawal Bhutto: The poster boy". Herald Magazine. 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  35. ↑ "Benazir son Bilawal condemns support for Taseer killer". BBC News. 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  36. ↑ "PPP to make alliance of liberal parties for next polls: Bilawal". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  37. ↑ "Bilawal celebrates Diwali with Hindu community". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  38. ↑ "Bilawal visits St Patrick’s Church to mark Christmas Celebrations". Business Recorder e-Paper. 2016-12-26. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  39. ↑ "I will take back entire Kashmir from India: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  40. ↑ The Newspaper's Correspondent. "India terms Bilawal’s Kashmir statement ‘far from reality’". dawn.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  41. ↑ "Indian hackers deface PPP website". dawn.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Party political offices
Preceded by
Benazir Bhutto		 Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party
2007–present
With Asif Ali Zardari 		Incumbent

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.