After ‘Prince Charming’ Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, attention has shifted to Pakistan’s new First Lady to be, his sister Aseefa Bhutto Zardari. The 31-year-old is the youngest daughter of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and newly-appointed President Asif Ali Zardari. This is the first time in Pakistan that the daughter and not the wife of the president will get the title of First Lady.
Journalists and political commentators are calling it a “historic decision”. Already, images of the 31-year-old in a white headscarf are circulating on social media—reminiscent of her mother who was assassinated in December 2007. Incidentally, the position of first lady was also held by Aseefa’s grandmother, Nusrat Bhutto.
“My family has made a lot of sacrifices for Pakistan,” she told the BBC in her maiden TV interview.
Who is Aseefa Bhutto Zardari?
From being the first child in Pakistan to be administered a polio vaccine in a drive launched by her mother, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari went on to work for polio eradication in Pakistan as the ambassador of #PolioFreePakistan.
Aseefa got a master’s degree in Public Health from University College London, and was the youngest Pakistani to ever address the Oxford Union at the age of 21.
A politician, social activist, and daughter of one of the most prestigious political families in Pakistan, Aseefa entered politics in 2020. However, her fans had stormed the internet much before that, posting content on fan pages since 2015, making her debut much awaited. Her social media profiles today are filled with followers cheering her appointment.
Just two days after being elected as President, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Asif Ali Zardari chose his daughter to walk alongside him as the First Lady.
Politicians of the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N), and fan pages alike are praising the ‘gracefulness’ of Aseefa.
In her interview with the BBC in 2019, she spoke in heavily accented Urdu about her family’s legacy of speaking up and fighting for the people of Pakistan, which is why she joined politics.
“The options are to stay silent and speak up. My grandfather chose to speak up for people’s rights, my mother chose to speak up. On the basis of my grandfather’s mission and my mother’s vision, my brother speaks for the entire Pakistan and therefore we will continue to speak up,” she said.
Also read: Maryam Nawaz fixes policewoman’s headscarf. Now Pakistanis are calling her the moral police
Big shoes to fill
While Aseefa Bhutto Zardari is not unfamiliar with responsibility and serving Pakistan, she faces the pressure of living up to her family legacy and competing with the popularity of Tehmina Durrani, the First Spouse of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Her grandmother, Nusrat Bhutto, a former first lady, was an active member of the PPP, even holding the chairmanship while in exile in London. She served multiple tenures as MP to the National Assembly from the family constituency of Larkana and was actively involved in the women’s National Guard.
Durrani, also called Pakistan’s most powerful feminist voice, has taken a notable role as an activist and wife of the Prime Minister. Author of over three popular yet controversial books, and an artist, she has advocated for children’s and women’s rights. In 2005, she also came in the limelight for caring for an acid attack victim. And like Aseefa, Durrani also comes from one of Pakistan’s most influential families.
Pakistanis are intrigued to see Durrani and Bhutto–two influential women from different generations and political affiliations–hold the post of First Spouse and First Lady together.