 "In a first, a daughter to become Pakistan’s first lady: Who is Aseefa Bhutto Zardari?")
Pakistan’s controversial elections are behind us. And now its new leadership is taking shape. Asif Ali Zardari is the country’s new president . He was sworn in on Sunday. During his second tenure, Zardari is likely to set a new precedent. Breaking tradition, he is expected to make his daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari the first lady.
It is the wife of the president who usually takes up the role. However, this is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a daughter will assume the post.
We take a look at the rise of Aseefa and what can be expected of her as first lady.
Why has Zardari picked his daughter as the first lady?
Aseefa is the 31-year-old youngest daughter of Pakistan’s first woman prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the only two-time president of the country, Zardari . Bhutto was assassinated at an election rally in 2007. So during Zardari’s first tenure as president between 2008 and 2013, the position of the first lady remained vacant.
According to a report by Pakistan-based media house ARY News, Zardari will make his daughter the new first lady. In fact, his Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has already started referring to Aseefa with the title.
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Who is Aseefa Bhutto Zardari?
Aseefa is the youngest of the three Bhutto Zardari heirs. She was the first child in Pakistan to receive a polio vaccine in a drive that was started by her mother Benazir Bhutto. Aseefa then went on to work for polio eradication and became an ambassador for polio-free Pakistan. She ran campaigns to fight the disease, met concerned officials, and visited affected families, leaving an impact on the public.
Aseefa is quite an achiever. She has a master’s degree in public health from University College London.
One of the first times Aseefa was in the spotlight was when she accompanied her father to meet Nobel Peace winner Malala Yousafzai in Birmingham in 2012. This is where the schoolgirl, who was just 15 then, was being treated after she was shot in the head by the Taliban. Zardari and the then 19-year-old Aseefa reportedly met Malala’s family and doctors treating her.
Soon she would be grabbing more headlines. At 21, she was the youngest Pakistani ever to address the Oxford Union.
While Aseefa would make her political debut years later, in Pakistan, she has had fan pages dedicated to her since 2015. Her possible appointment as first lady is being cheered on her social media profiles filled with her followers with many praising her gracefulness.
However, the young scion was preparing for a role in Pakistan politics.
Also read: The challenges before Shehbaz Sharif as he becomes Pakistan PM for second time
In an interview with the BBC in 2019, she spoke about her family’s legacy of standing up and fighting for the people of Pakistan. “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.
How active has Aseefa been in politics?
Over the past decade, Aseefa has been a familiar face next to Zardari and has quickly climbed the political ladder in the influential Bhutto-Zardari family.
She made her political debut at a rally in Multan in November 2020 and has been actively involved in the PPP. In the run-up to the 8 February elections this year, she was part of the party’s electoral campaign. She led various rallies to seek support for her brother Bilawal Bhutto Zardari , the party’s then-candidate for the Pakistan PM’s post, reports 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, according to a report in Dawn. But Aseefa has shown more inclination towards dynastic politics than her siblings.
More than her brother, who served briefly as Pakistan’s foreign minister, and her sister, it is Aseefa who has been seen alongside her father. She has been present at addresses, political ceremonies, and rallies. She has carved out a position for herself in the party and the country’s public scene, a Dawn report says.
— Aseefa B Zardari (@AseefaBZ) February 8, 2024
What will be Aseefa’s role if appointed first lady?
First ladies traditionally host dinners, function as political workers, launch domestic initiatives, address conferences and summits, and enlist help from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for various causes, according to Dawn.
In Pakistan, Aseefa has big shoes to fill. Her grandmother Nusrat Bhutto served as first lady. She was an active member of the PPP, served several tenures as MP to the National Assembly and was actively involved in the women’s National Guard, a military reserve force, according to a report in The Print.
If appointed first lady, Aseefa will be rubbing shoulders with Tehmina Durrani, the first spouse of Pakistan – the wife of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. She is a popular feminist voice, who has written three books and has advocated for the rights of women and children.
Have daughters played roles as first ladies before?
Not in Pakistan.
In the US, President Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph, served as the acting first lady during his regime.
Another American president Andrew Jackson’s daughter-in-law and niece served as his acting first ladies.
Two other US presidents, Chester Arthur and Grover Cleveland, asked their sisters to become the first lady.
With inputs from agencies
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