Pakistani noted family member, his young life is steeped in the machinations and bloodshed of his country’s political struggle. His mother, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in December 2007 as she attempted to regain political power. His maternal grandfather, the founder of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the first elected Prime Minister of the country, had been executed in 1979 under martial law. Two of his three maternal uncles have also been killed, both under mysterious circumstances, one allegedly poisoned in 1985, the other gunned down in 1996. Bilawal’s father, Asif Ali Zardari, is also an active political figure who has faced his own struggles, having served jail time on corruption charges that have reportedly never been proven.
The eldest of three children and the only son, Bilawal’s name means “one without equal.” He was born just a month before his mother was elected Prime Minister for her first term. She was dismissed in 1990 on corruption charges but regained the office in 1993 until she was dismissed in 1996, again on corruption charges. In 1999 she fled to self-imposed exile in Dubai. Consequently, he has spent much of his young life outside his home country. Like his mother and her father before him, he matriculated at Oxford University, attending Christ Church College just as his maternal grandfather did. He has tried to have a “normal” life at school, attending to his studies and athletic endeavors like swimming, cricket, horse-riding, marksmanship and Taekwondo, in which he holds a black belt. Close friends and relatives describe him as shy, a private and studious young man who is nonetheless charismatic, popular and fun-loving. He is said to have inherited superb speaking skills from his mother.
Bilawal displayed ambivalence toward a political leadership role when asked whether he would like to enter politics. “We will see, I don’t know. I would like to help the people of Pakistan, so I will decide when I finish my studies.” But with his mother’s assassination on December 27, 2007, he has been catapulted into the public eye. His mother had named her husband as her successor in leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Aware of his own somewhat tarnished reputation and of the significance of having a Bhutto in charge, Zardari in turn named his son as co-chair of the party. Further, “Bhutto” was added to Bilawal’s name. For now, however, Zardari will lead the party for all intents and purposes. Young Bilawal has returned to London to resume his studies and has downplayed expectations of his immediate involvement in Pakistan’s largest political party.
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