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Benazir Bhutto Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth21 June 1953

Age54 (at time of death)

BirthplaceKarachi, Sindh, Pakistan

ProfessionFormer Pakistani Politician

NationalityPakistani

Marital statusMarried (at time of death)

SpouseAsif Ali Zardari

FamilyChildren: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, Asifa Bhutto Zardari

Benazir Bhutto Biography

Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who became the country’s first female prime minister and a central figure in the Bhutto political dynasty. Educ-­

Early life and background
Benazir Bhutto was born on 21 June 1953 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nusrat Bhutto and grew up in a prominent political family. Her given name, Benazir, means "One Without Equal." As a child she attended elite convent and English-medium schools in Pakistan and was exposed to multiple languages; English was her first language and her mother taught her some Persian.

Her education took her abroad at a young age. At sixteen she was sent to study at Radcliffe in the United States. She later moved to the United Kingdom to further her studies at the University of Oxford, where she completed undergraduate and postgraduate work and became the first Asian woman elected president of the Oxford Union in 1977.

Career
After postgraduate study, Bhutto returned to Pakistan in June 1977 and was scheduled to serve at the Inter-Provincial Council of Common Interests and in the prime minister’s office. That year brought upheaval: her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was removed from power in a military coup and subsequently imprisoned and later executed in 1979. Following his death, Benazir Bhutto became the titular head of the Pakistan People’s Party and committed herself to a career in politics.

Bhutto made history in 1988 when she became Pakistan’s 11th prime minister, the first woman to lead the country. Her first term lasted from 1988 until 1990, when her government was dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. She served as leader of the opposition after losing the 1990 parliamentary elections and returned to the premiership for a second term in 1993. Her second government continued until November 1996, when President Farooq Leghari ended her tenure.

After 1996 Bhutto again served as leader of the opposition until 1999. Her political life was marked by repeated confrontations with presidential authorities and accusations that led to dismissals of her administrations. Throughout her career she represented the Pakistan People’s Party and remained a central figure in efforts to restore and sustain democratic governance in Pakistan.

Public profile
Bhutto’s public honors included international recognition for human rights work. In 1988 she received the Bruno Kreisky Prize for Services to Human Rights. She was later honored with the Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award in 2000. Posthumously, she received the Tipperary International Peace Award for 2007 and the United Nations Human Rights Prize was awarded to her at the UN’s 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with her son accepting the prize on her behalf.

Bhutto’s life and political career attracted intense attention and controversy. She and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, faced legal challenges: in 1999 they were convicted on charges related to kickbacks and sentenced in absentia, though a higher court later overturned that conviction. Her time at Oxford and abroad was widely discussed in media accounts that described a cosmopolitan lifestyle. Her political life, family connections, and the dramatic arc of her father’s fate shaped both her public image and the course of her career.

Personal life
Benazir Bhutto married Asif Ali Zardari on 18 December 1987. The couple had three children: a son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and two daughters, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and Asifa Bhutto Zardari. Bhutto’s father was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and her mother was Nusrat Bhutto. She had siblings including brothers Murtaza Bhutto and Shahnawaz Bhutto, and a sister named Sanam Bhutto.

Bhutto’s schooling in Pakistan included Lady Jennings Nursery School, Convent of Jesus and Mary (Karachi and Murree), Presentation Convent High School (Rawalpindi), and Karachi Grammar School. Abroad she attended Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and studied at Lady Margaret Hall and St Catherine’s College at Oxford. Her academic qualifications included a B.A. (Hons) in comparative politics, a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and a master’s degree in international law and diplomacy.

Death and legacy
Benazir Bhutto died on 27 December 2007 at age 54. Her death was caused by assassination. She was laid to rest at the Bhutto family mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, Sindh. Her role as the first female prime minister of Pakistan, her leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party, and the international awards recognizing her human rights work contribute to the complex legacy she left behind.

Latest updates
Bhutto’s son accepted the United Nations Human Rights Prize on her behalf after it was awarded posthumously. Other posthumous honors include the Tipperary International Peace Award for 2007.
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Recent Work

Prime Minister of Pakistan (first term)

Served as Pakistan’s 11th prime minister from December 1988 to 1990.

1988–1990
Prime Minister of Pakistan (second term)

Served a second term as prime minister from 1993 to November 1996.

1993–1996
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Career Highlights

  1. First woman to serve as Prime Minister of Pakistan
  2. Two-term Prime Minister (1988–1990; 1993–1996)
  3. President of the Oxford Union in 1977
  4. Recipient of international human rights honors including the Bruno Kreisky Prize and the UN Human Rights Prize (posthumous)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Benazir Bhutto born?

21 June 1953

What is Benazir Bhutto known for?

Former Pakistani Politician

What is Benazir Bhutto’s marital status?

Married (at time of death)

Who is Benazir Bhutto married to?

Asif Ali Zardari