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This Day in History: Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto

Twenty-eight years ago today, Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as prime minister of Pakistan, becoming not only the first woman to head a Muslim country, but at the age of 35, its youngest.

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Her charismatic father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, served as both Pakistan's president and prime minister, and founded the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Born into a wealthy and educated family, Benazir was groomed by her father to be his political successor. A populist who was recognized internationally as an skilled diplomat and impressive leader, he ultimately was deposed in 1977 by his army chief General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq. Ali Bhutto was tried and convicted of authorizing the murder of a political opponent in 1979. He was executed by hanging later that year.

Zia, an conservative Islamist, ruled Pakistan with an iron fist. Benazir Bhutto and her siblings spoke out often against the military government, becoming the de facto political opposition. Wary of her influence, Zia jailed Bhutto for several years. After her release, she lived in London in exile. By the time she returned to Pakistan in 1986, Benazir had become a beloved opposition politician, and frustration with Zia's dictatorship offered Bhutto the chance to politically challenge the military government.

By then, she had becpme a symbol of women's empowerment in a deeply religious society.

Benazir's first return from exile

She won the post of prime minister in 1988, running as a moderate Muslim, who pledged to provide basic services and education to Pakistan's poor and illiterate. And Bhutto made good on some of those promises, bringing electricity, housing and other necessities to parts of rural Pakistan.

But as a young and inexperienced woman in conservative Muslim country, she faced intense backlash by the political remnants of Zia’s dictatorship and conservative Islamist. Bhutto lost the 1990 election and was charged, along with her husband, of corruption. She returned to power in 1993, but lost her second term just three years later.

While in self-imposed exile in Britain and Dubai, she was convicted in 1999 of corruption and sentenced to three years in prison. She directed the PPP from abroad, she was reaffirmed its leader in 2002.

Five years later, Bhutto was determined to return to Pakistan to challenged the military government, then led by President Pervez Musharraf, who had granted her amnesty on the corruption charges. That very day she narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.

Less than two months later in December 2007, she was assassinated during a gun and suicide bomb attack after a political rally. She was 54 years old. http://www.voanews.com/a/this-day-in-history-pakistans-benazir-bhutto/3620102.html

“GO NISAR GO” WILL CHANGE INTO “GO NAWAZ GO” IF DEMANDS NOT MET, WARNS BILAWAL BHUTTO

“NAP has failed and Takht-e-Raiwind not ready even to talk againstterrorism leave aside fighting against terrorism,” PPP Chairman

LAHORE, December 2: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto has warned Nawaz government that he would change his current slogan of “Go Nisar Go” into “Go Nawaz Go” if his four demands were not accepted before December 27. “I am fed up with what is happening. NAP has failed and Takht-e-Raiwind was not ready even to talk against terrorism leave aside fighting against terrorism,” PPP Chairman stated in his speech at the PPP’s Foundation Week celebrations organized by PPP South Punjab. Many thousands Jiyalas coming from different parts of South Punjab who raised full-throated slogans to welcome Chairman Bilawal Bhutto to the stage amid cultural tunes from Cholistan and other parts of Wasaib.
He said that NAB was made into Noon-league Action Plan, which ended up as Nakaam-league Action Plan. “I am grand-son of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, son of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and don’t forget that I am nephew of Shaheed Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Shaheed Shahnawaz Bhutto also,” said the PPP Chairman.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari repeated PPP’s four demands which include Parliamentary scrutiny of the security policy, democratic, investigations into the massive Panama Scandal through the legislation proposed by PPP together with other political parties, implementation of resolution about CPEC passed unanimously by an All Parties Conference presided over by former President Asif Ali Zardari and a democratic accountability of foreign policy and Foreign Minister.
He lashed out at the Nawaz League for spending the funding from the world for Balochistan, KPK and Sindh on Orange Line. “These funds should be spent on health, education and eliminating poverty not on lavish facilities,” he added.
PPP Chairman said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto laid down her life fighting the terrorists but Takht-e-Raiwind and its cronies are not even talking against terrorists instead of fighting. He said “Go Nisar Go” slogan is being raised from Takht-e-Lahore instead of Sindh, Balochistan, South Waziristan or elsewhere.

Bilawal Bhutto warned that “Go Nisar Go” will change into “Go Nawaz Go” if all the four demands were not accepted before December 27, the martyrdom day of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, Former Prime Ministers Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah, MNA Faryal Talpur, Senator Sherry Rahman, President PPP South Punjab Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood, General Secretary Natasha Daultana, Information Secretary Shaukat Basra, PPP MNAs, MPAs and Senators were also present on the occasion.

https://ppppunjab.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/go-nisar-go-will-change-into-go-nawaz-go-if-demands-not-met-warns-bilawal-bhutto/

Pakistan - PM HOUSE, NOT FO RUNNING FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SHERRY

“Releasing that unabridged readout without permission represented a total breach of diplomatic norms and has placed Pakistan in a poor light”: The former Ambassador.

Vice President PPPP and former Ambassador to the US, Senator Sherry Rehman expressed shock and dismay over the government’s bizarre release of a readout of the phone call between President-elect Donald Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The phone call between the two leaders took place on Wednesday to discuss future prospects between the US and Pakistan.

The former Ambassador said, “Releasing that unabridged readout without permission represented a total breach of diplomatic norms and has placed Pakistan in a poor light”.

The government’s decision to release the readout in the manner that it did, drew a slew of criticism from former White House officials and the international media.

“There is no way that a trained Foreign Service Officer would release this kind of granular detail on their own, they are way too experienced for that. This huge faux pas has obviously been initiated by the PM’s office,” said Rehman.

The President-elect and the Prime Minister also received heavy backlash over the ignorance and recklessness revealed in the content of the readout. Foreign policy experts fear that it would have strong implications on US policy towards India and Pakistan.

“This has exposed the gaping hole in this government’s foreign policy machine and made it look even more enormous. The refusal to appoint a full time Foreign Minister has left a dangerous vacuum on a key ministry where too much is falling between the cracks. This has been one of the PPP’s key demands in order to protect Pakistan’s interests, but we fail to understand why no one is given this full time responsibility, especially considering the daily challenges Pakistan is facing in this vital ministry,” concluded the Senator.

https://ppppunjab.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/pm-house-not-fo-running-foreign-affairs-sherry/