When Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as Pakistan’s first woman prime minister on 2 December 1988, she wore a green kameez with a white dupatta draped over her head. Her sartorial choice was immortalised as a wax statue by Madame Tussauds in London. And now the statue of the late former prime minister who was assassinated on 27 December 2007 has a new home at Madame Tussauds Dubai.
Her son and Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari unveiled the wax statue at Bluewaters Island in Dubai.
“I first saw this statue in Madame Tussauds London. Dubai holds a special place in our hearts, as my mother and family spent around ten years in exile here. I did my primary and secondary education here in the UAE. I have a strong attachment to this city and country,” he said.
But the wax statue has elicited a mixed response on her legacy. While some journalists and influencers recalled Benazir Bhutto’s contribution and hailed her as the “pride of Pakistan”, others said that was simply a tool for the Pakistan People’s Party. A few citizens criticised the unveiling as a way of propagating human worship and idolism.
And according to journalist Mariana Baabar, the statue failed to recreate the outfit that Benzir wore accurately. In a tweet, she pointed out that “BB wore white French chiffon dupattas”.
However, Sanaz Kollsrud, general manager of Madame Tussauds in Dubai, told The Khaleej Times that Benzair herself had chosen this outfit for the statue.
“[The statue] was presented to Benazir when it was displayed. She chose the style and costume with the artists at that time. We were happy that we could borrow a wax figure and have it here. It has been refreshed, and there is a lot of extra work done on the figure,” she said.
The unveiling was a diplomatic event, and Bilwal is expected to meet his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They are expected to discuss the ‘entire spectrum of bilateral relations’ between the two nations, stated a report from Arab news.
Commenting on Bilawal Bhutto, a twitter user criticised Zardari for not carrying Bhutto’s legacy of being a people’s leader and working with corrupt politicians.
Bilawal Zardari is an embarrassment for his Late mother.. those who threw dirty pictures of his mother from Airplane, Bilawal working under them… 🤢👎 pic.twitter.com/7ObqmJiSab
— Sofia (@Sofia8384) July 30, 2023
The statue will be placed in the first zone of Madame Tussauds Dubai, alongside wax figures of Royals and leaders of the world.