Ghinwa Bhutto

Ghinwa Bhutto (Urdu: غنویٰ بھٹو‎, Sindhi: غنوا ڀٽو‎, Arabic: غنوة بوتو‎; born Ghinwa Itaoui) is a Pakistani politician and the widow of Murtaza Bhutto. She is also the sister-in-law of the late Benazir Bhutto. She is of Lebanese origin[1][2] and is the second wife of Murtaza Bhutto, mother of queer artist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Jr and stepmother of Fatima Bhutto.

Background

Murtaza Bhutto and his daughter Fatima spent time in exile in Syria, where Murtaza first met Ghinwa. Ghinwa had fled from the Lebanese Civil War back home and migrated to Syria, where she used to give ballet classes in the basement of a church. Fatima was one of her students. Murtaza and Ghinwa would later marry in 1989.[3]

Ghinwa has been estranged from the powerful Bhutto family ever since she accused Benazir and her husband Asif Ali Zardari of conspiracy to the 1996 murder of Mir Murtaza. She also accused Benazir and Zardari of corruption.[4] Zardari was arrested as a suspect in the murder of Murtaza, but he was later released due to lack of evidence. Her husband's killers were never brought to justice.

Politics

In 1997, Ghinwa staked a claim to the Bhutto political legacy. She formed the PPP-SB, becoming the chairperson of the party,[5] and ran for election in Larkana in 3 Feb 1997. Benazir convinced her mother Nusrat Bhutto, then president of the Pakistan Peoples Party, to run against her.[4] Though her opponent suffered from Alzheimer's disease, Ghinwa was defeated.[4]

Ghinwa lives in the Bhutto family home in Karachi with her son Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr. (named after his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) and her step daughter Fatima Bhutto. Prior to marrying Murtaza, Ghinwa worked as a ballet dancer/teacher.[6]

In 2002, Pakistani election authorities rejected her candidacy for the October 10 election. Ghinwa was rejected on the grounds of not possessing the required minimum academic qualification of a university degree.[7] In August 2007, Ghinwa Bhutto passed the BA exams from Punjab University in the First Division with 526 marks. Ghinwa, roll # 86604, appeared as a private candidate. To be eligible to contest elections, Ghinwa chose to take the Punjab University BA exam because the results were to be declared by the end of August, before the elections.[8]

After the first suicide attack following Benazir's return to Pakistan in October 2007, Ghinwa remarked: "I think she has invited trouble herself."[9]

However, when Benazir was assassinated on December 27, 2007 Ghinwa put their differences aside. She attended the funeral with her step daughter, Fatima Bhutto.[5]

See also

References
  1. http://www.dawn.com/news/1095886
  2. "Pakistan People's Party – Shaheed Bhutto group – Ghinwa Bhutto – Political violence – Elections" (PDF). Refugee Review Tribunal (Australia). 15 August 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2015. The Lebanese-Syrian widow of Murtaza said her cousins in Pakistan warmly welcomed Sassi and “she’s here to meet family members and offer prayers at the family graveyard".
  3. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/jan/11/women.pakistan
  4. Elections Come To Pakistan
  5. Bhutto's Body Flown To Ancestral Village
  6. "On trip to release book on Bhuttos,Fatima on song". Archived from the original on 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  7. "Political Parties In Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  8. Ghinwa Bhutto passes in first division
  9. 'Victim' Bhutto Invited suicide Attack
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