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Daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nusrat Begum Bhutto.
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First woman to lead a post-colonial Muslim country as Prime Minister of Pakistan, serving two non-consecutive terms from December 2, 1988 to August 6, 1990 and from October 19, 1993 to November 5, 1996.
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Mother to three children: Bilawal born 1988, Bakhtawar born 1990, and Aseefa born 1994.
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Faced over 90 legal cases including corruption and money laundering in Pakistan since the mid-1990s, leading her to move to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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Graduated from Oxford University after becoming the first Asian woman to be president of the Oxford Union debating society.
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Two of her brothers, Shahnawaz and Murtaza, both died under suspicious circumstances.
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Survived a suicide bomb attack in Karachi on October 18, 2007, but was shot by an assassin who then detonated an explosive vest, killing about 20 people in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.
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Has a sister named Sanam, who is three years younger.
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Was three years older than her husband Asif Ali Zardari.
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Was fluent in English.
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Her mother is Persian, so Benazir could speak Farsi.
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Her name means wonderful, and her son Bilawal’s name also means wonderful.
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Her mother, Nusrat Begum Bhutto, did not want her to become a politician.
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Doctors who first tried to revive Benazir Bhutto stated that they saw bullet wound entry and exit.
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Her special assistant and close friend was with her on the day of the suicide attack but survived because she did not exit from the sunroof of the car.
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Loved coffee.
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Died in the arms of Naheed Khan, her closest friend and important PPP member.
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After her death, people asked her sister Sanam to become chairman of PPP, but she declined.
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When her husband was in jail, she migrated to London with her three children to live with her sister’s family; after his release, she moved to Dubai with him and their children.
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She wanted her children, especially her son Bilawal, to continue her political path.
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Asif Ali Zardari served eight years in jail from 1996 to 2004 on charges that were eventually dropped and that he said were politically motivated.
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Her last book was published posthumously on February 12, 2008.
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She and her husband named their home in Karachi Bilawal House after their son.
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Last of four siblings to get married, at age 34.
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The street where she was killed and the garden where she gave her last speech were named Shahrah Benazir Bhutto after her death.
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Indian actress Shabana Azmi was offered the role of Benazir in a film in 1972 and accepted, but Benazir did not agree; after her death, Azmi was again offered the role in a new Hindi movie and accepted.
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According to The Times and The Australian Magazine May 4, 1996, she was one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.
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Had a niece named Azadeh and a nephew named Shariar, children of sister Sanam.
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Both Benazir and her son attended Karachi Grammar School; Kofi Annan and Kamila Shamsie were also students there.
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Educated at elite English-language Pakistani schools, several run by nuns, living as an indulged and adored wealthy child and teenager.
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Her sister Sanam Bhutto is a graduate of Politics from Harvard University.
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Her house was in the Dubai Hills region of Dubai city.
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Close friend of Amy Wilentz, a famous writer.
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Spent much of her youth abroad and initially struggled with Urdu in her early political years.
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Buried in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh, a family graveyard for all Bhutto family members.
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Gave birth to her second child Bakhtawar on January 25, 1990, believed to be the first elected world leader to give birth while in office.
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Was a collector of pearl jewelry sets.
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A few days after her death, Iranian poet Simin Behbahani published a poem about her.
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Zardari took over the leadership of PPP after her slaying, and the party won the most seats in the subsequent elections.
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National Badminton Championship of Pakistan has been named after her.
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Awarded the Irish Tipperary Peace Award on April 26, 2008, five months after her death.
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Interested in history.
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She is the fourth member of her family to die an unnatural death, and the third Bhutto politician to die while in office.
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Given the International Chicago Labour Confederation Award on Labor Day, May 2, 2008, over five months after her death.
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Shabana Azmi is a huge fan of hers.
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When she was Prime Minister, she carried baby Bilawal in her arms even to official functions, much to her aides’ consternation.
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Wore a white silk tunic with gold embroidery on her wedding day to Asif Ali Zardari.
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After their arranged marriage was announced on July 29, 1987, Asif sent Benazir roses every day and gave her a heart-shaped ring of diamonds and sapphires.
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After Benazir’s death, many party members asked her sister to accept leadership of PPP, but she refused.
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Was sister-in-law of Faryal Talpur, a politician.