Who is Aseefa Bhutto, Pakistan’s First Lady to be?

After Benazir Bhutto was assassinated during an election rally in 2007, the position of the First Lady remained empty during Zardari’s first tenure as President from 2008 to 2013. On Sunday, Zardari was sworn in as the 14th President of Pakistan in Aseefa’s presence.

Making her political debut in November 2020, Aseefa was actively involved in the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) electoral campaign in the run-up to the February 8 polls and was seen leading various rallies in a bid to seek support for her brother Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — the party’s then-candidate for the prime minister’s post, reported PTI.

President Zardari had long since established his intentions of involving his three children — son Bilawal, and daughters Bhaktawar and Aseefa — in the PPP, especially to take up leading roles, reported another Pakistan-based media house, Dawn. However, according to the report, Aseefa was more inclined towards the Bhutto dynastic politics than her siblings.

The Dawn report further stated that Aseefa Bhutto has been seen alongside her father more often than her brother Bilawal, who briefly served as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, and sister Bhaktawar. With an active presence at several political ceremonies, addresses, galas, and rallies, Aseefa appeared to have carved out a position for herself in the PPP and Pakistan’s public scene.

For instance, in 2012, Aseefa accompanied her father when he visited social rights activist Malala Yousafzai in Birmingham where the schoolgirl was being treated after she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for “promoting secularism,” as per a BBC report. The report said that the duo met with Malala and her family for five minutes and met clinicians who have been treating the then-15-year-old.

Aseefa also has an active social media presence and is often seen commenting on the political developments in Pakistan via her X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook accounts, added Dawn.

Additionally, her high-profile role as polio eradication ambassador in Pakistan has helped her become a more familiar face to the general masses as compared to her siblings. During her ambassadorial position, Aseefa ran campaigns to fight the disease, met the officials concerned, and visited the affected families, making a bigger social and political impact than her siblings did through speeches and rallies.

According to another report by Dawn in 2022, Aseefa, while accompanying her brother Bilawal during a PPP procession in Khanewal, was hit by a media drone. She sustained minor injuries, but was given immediate medical care after which she chose to continue discharging her duties.

– With PTI inputs