Asif Ali Zardari

Asif Ali Zardari

President of Pakistan

Incumbent

Assumed office
9 September 2008

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani

Preceded by Muhammad Mian Soomro (Acting)

Co-Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party

Incumbent

Assumed office
30 December 2007
Serving with Bilawal Zardari Bhutto
 Preceded by Benazir Bhutto

26 July 1955 (1955-07-26) (age 54)

Born
Karachi, Pakistan[1]

Political party Peoples Party

Spouse(s) Benazir Bhutto (1987–2007)

Bilawal
Children Bakhtawar
Asifa

Residence Islamabad, Pakistan

Religion Shia Islam[2][3]

Asif Ali Zardari (Urdu: ‫ ;آصف علی زرداری‬Sindhi: ‫ ;آصف علي زرداري‬born 26 July 1955) is the 11th
and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Zardari is the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who twice served as Prime Minister of Pakistan. When
his wife was assassinated in December 2007, he became the leader of the PPP. It has been
claimed that Zardari is among the five richest men in Pakistan with an estimated net worth of
US$1.8 billion (2005).[4][5]

Contents
• 1 Early life and education
• 2 Early political career
• 3 Co-chairman of the PPP
○ 3.1 Presidential candidacy
• 4 President of Pakistan
○ 4.1 Constitutional reform
• 5 Relationships with world leaders
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Early life and education

Asif Ali Zardari belongs to a Shia Muslim Sindhi Baloch (Sindhi speaking) family from Sindh.[6]
[7]
He was born in Karachi and is the son of Hakim Ali Zardari, head of one of the Sindhi tribes,[1]
[8]
who chose urban life over rustic surroundings. His mother is from the family of Khan Bahadur
Hassan Ali, who was among the founders of the first educational institution in Sindh, "Sindh
Madarsa-tul-Islam Karachi".
Zardari received his primary education from Karachi Grammar School and his secondary
education from Cadet College, Petaro.[6] Zardari also attended St Patrick's High School, Karachi.
[9]
While a candidate for parliament, a position for which a 2002 rule requires a college degree,
Zardari claimed to have graduated from a college in London called the London School of
Economics and Business (LSEB).[10][11] The 2002 rule was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme
Court in April 2008.[9]
Early political career
Zardari married Benazir Bhutto on 18 December 1987. In 1988 his wife won the seat of Prime
Minister, and Zardari became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. He served as
investment and environment minister in Bhutto's governments. It was during this time that
Zardari's opponents began using the nickname, "Mr 10%", in reference to the charges of
corruption against him.[12][13][14]
Bhutto's government lost in the 1990 elections. Zardari soon came under investigation in
Switzerland over alleged receipts of kickbacks from two Swiss-based companies.[15] Zardari
claimed the charges were political in nature, and in 2008 Switzerland closed the case and
released Zardari's frozen assets. The chief prosecutor said he had no evidence to bring Zardari to
trial.[16]
When Bhutto returned to office in 1993, Zardari was released from jail and became a
government minister. In 1996, after a change of government, Zardari was again arrested. From
1997 to 2004, Zardari was kept in jail on various corruption charges and accusations of murder.
[17]
Pakistani investigators accused Zardari and his wife Benazir for embezzling as much as
US$1.5 billion from government accounts.[18] He was also accused of allegedly plotting the
murder of Murtaza Bhutto, the brother of his wife Benazir Bhutto. He was later cleared.[14]
Another allegation involved an estate in Surrey which Pakistani press speculated was purchased
by Zardari.[19][20] Zardari was similarly accused of purchasing 307 acres of land in Islamabad at
"below the prevailing market price" in 1994 through an intermediary. In March 2009, a company
owned by Zardari and his son Bilawal purchased the land for Rs 62 million. The Capital
Development Authority (CDA) valued adjacent land at Rs 850,000 per kanal (Rs 6.8 million per
acre); if the 307 acres of land were valued on a similar rate, it would be valued around Rs 2
billion.[21] Zardari's financial history was one case study in a 1999 US Senate report on various
vulnerabilities in banking procedures.[22]
A New York psychiatrist found in March 2007 that Zardari's time in jail left him with memory
impairments. Zardari claims to have been tortured.[23] When Zardari stood for the Pakistani
presidency in 2008, the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, said that
Zardari had no current mental condition requiring psychiatric help or medication.[24][25]
In October 2007, the president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, issued the National Reconciliation
Ordinance which granted amnesty to politicians in office from 1986 to 1999.[26]
Co-chairman of the PPP
Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December 2007, shortly after returning to Pakistan from
exile. On 30 December 2007, Asif Ali Zardari became the co-chairman of the PPP, along with
his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is currently studying at Oxford. Bilawal is intended to fully
assume the post when he completes his education.
After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Zardari reaffirmed his lack of interest in the prime
ministership.[27][28] Chairman Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif, leader of the PML-N, along with
some smaller political parties, joined forces in an electoral coalition that won a heavy majority in
the elections and unseated Musharraf's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q). After the
election, he called for a government of national unity, and divided cabinet portfolios among
coalition partners on proportionate basis.[29] Asif Ali Zardari and former Pakistani Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif said on 21 February 2008 that their parties would work together in the national
parliament after scoring big wins in the election.[30]
On 5 March 2008, Zardari was cleared of five corruption charges as part of a court ruling which
"abolished the cases against all public office holders" under the National Reconciliation
Ordinance.[26] He had another trial on the remaining charges on 14 April 2008, when he was
cleared under the same NRO.[31][32]
On 19 April 2008, Zardari announced in a press conference in London that he and his sister,
Faryal Talpur, would participate in the by-elections taking place on 3 June and that, if necessary,
he would contest to become the country's next Prime Minister, even though his party voted by a
2/3 majority[33] to announce that Yousaf Raza Gillani would be the PM for a five year term.
Presidential candidacy
Zardari, in alliance with Nawaz Sharif, was preparing to impeach president Pervez Musharraf,
and a charge-sheet and draft of impeachment had already been prepared, when Musharraf, in
accordance with his advisors, resigned from the presidency on 18 August 2008. Chairman
Zardari was confirmed by the Central Executive Committee of the PPP as well as endorsed by
the rival ethnic party MQM as candidate for the post of President of Pakistan.[34] There was
nevertheless strong disagreement among the current coalition partners, and Nawaz Sharif's PML-
N party was threatening to leave the coalition as a result.[35] According to the Constitution,
elections must be held within 30 days of the previous president stepping down. The electoral
college is composed of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies.
Pakistan's Election Commission on 22 August announced that a presidential election would be
held on 6 September, and the nomination papers could be filed from 26 August.[35][36]
The New York Times reported that Zalmay Khalilzad, United States Ambassador to the United
Nations, had been unofficially advising Asif Ali Zardari.[37] Khalilzad, an Afghan native, had
been rumored to be flirting with the possibility of returning home to challenge President Hamid
Karzai when his first term expired in 2009.
President of Pakistan
Zardari was elected president of Pakistan, as Chief election commissioner Qazi Mohammad
Farooq announced that "Asif Ali Zardari secured 281 votes out of the 426 valid votes polled in
the parliament," In Sindh, Zardari had 62 of the 65 electoral votes while his two main opponents
got zero votes; in North West Frontier Province Zardari got 56 votes against 5 by Siddiqui and
one by Hussain; in Balochistan, 59 votes while Siddiqui and Hussain got 2 each. However,
Zardari did not win the majority in the nation's biggest province, Punjab, where the PML-N's
Siddiqui got a clear majority.[38] BBC reported that Zardari "won 481 votes, far more than the
352 votes that would have guaranteed him victory."[39] New York Times said that Zardari would
be sworn in "as soon as Saturday night or as late as Monday or Tuesday, diplomats and officials
said."[40]
Zardari was challenged by Justice (Retired) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, a former judge nominated
by Nawaz Sharif's PML-N, and Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who was nominated by the PML-Q,
which backed Musharraf. According to the Constitution of 1973 presently in vogue (but declared
for major amendments by Zardari) the President of Pakistan, who must be a Muslim, is elected
by an electoral college composed of members of the two houses of parliament - the 342 seat
lower house National Assembly and the 100 member upper house Senate, as well as members of
the four provincial assemblies - Sindh, Punjab, North West Frontier and Balochistan. The
assemblies have total of 1170 seats, but the number of electoral college votes is 702 since
provincial assembly votes are counted on a proportional basis. The new president, who obtains
the largest number of votes, will serve for five years as Pakistan's 11th president since 1956,
when the country became an Islamic Republic, excluding acting presidents and CMLAs during
times of military rule.[41][42] Voting was in progress at the Parliament House, while the Senate
members finished casting their votes.[43]
Zardari was sworn in by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar in a ceremony at the presidential
palace on September 9, 2008.[44] He addressed the parliament for the first time on September 20,
2008, but the event was overshadowed by the suicide bomb blast which destroyed the Marriott
Hotel, Islamabad. Although Asif Ali Zardari was elected constitutionally, he was administered
the oath of office by Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar who took oath as Chief Justice of Pakistan
under the Provisional Constitutional Order.[45] Earlier, a supreme court ruling by a 7-member
bench of the SC had overturned the PCO. The ruling by the 7-member bench stated:[46]
"Appointment of the chief justice or judges of the Supreme Court or chief justices of the high
courts under the new PCO would be unlawful and without jurisdiction."[47]
Shafqat Mahmood, a former associate of Ms Bhutto, has said: "Mr Zardari has an image
problem, because of a lingering reputation of corruption, despite not having been convicted of
any wrongdoing. He will need to change this image.”[48]
Constitutional reform
In 2009, President Zardari told the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Pakistan People’s
Party (PPP) that he wished to repeal the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan
Article 58 2(b) of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan to limit the powers of
the President of Pakistan that had been expanded by previous administrations.[49] Zardari ceded
several of his most important powers, including the chairmanship of the agency that oversees
Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, to Prime Minister Gillani.
Relationships with world leaders

Zardari (right) with president Barack Obama (center) and president Hamid Karzai (left) during a
US-Afghan-Pakistan Trilateral meeting
Zardari picked China for first state visit after being elected in September 2008. He went to the
United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly on 25 September 2008 and 25 September
2009 respectively, and gave his trademark speech with a framed picture of his assassinated wife,
the late Benazir Bhutto nearby to remind the world that he's her husband.[50][51] Chinese President
Hu Jintao has pledged to work with Zardari to build a stronger political and economic
partnership between the two countries.[52]
On September 24, 2008 while in the United States, Zardari met the U.S Republican Party's Vice
Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. His tongue-in-cheek comments to Palin, while shaking
hands, that "I might hug you", created controversy and was the cause for a (non-violent) 'fatwa'
against him because his "praise of a non-Muslim lady wearing a short skirt" was un-Islamic.[53]
Zardari met with U.S. President Barack Obama and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai at the
White House in May 2009 to discuss security issues in the region.[54]
Upon the re-election of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Asif Ali Zardari phoned Dr.
Singh and offered his congratulations and an offer to work with the Indian government to
address challenges in the region.[55]
In October 2009, he met with Pope Benedict XVI in order to discuss the situation of Pakistani
Christians in context of blasphemy law.[56]
References
1. ^ a b South Asia Profile: Asif Ali Zardari. 6 September 2008. BBC News. Accessed 2009-03-02.
2. ^ The Martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto
3. ^ Vali Nasr The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future (W. W. Norton,
2006), pp. 88-90 ISBN 0-3933-2968-2
4. ^ http://www.daily.pk/president-asif-ali-zardari-2nd-most-richest-man-of-pakistan-6666/
5. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/09/world/house-graft-tracing-bhutto-millions-special-report-
bhutto-clan-leaves-trail.html
6. ^ a b President Asif Ali Zardari. gov.pk. Accessed 2009-06-06.
7. ^ "For the Night of 30 December 2007". AFCEA International.
http://nightwatch.afcea.org/NightWatch_20071230.htm. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
8. ^ http://jang.com.pk/thenews/feb2008-weekly/nos-17-02-2008/instep/mainissue.htm
9. ^ a b Peter Wonacott (September 5, 2008). Zardari Set to Assume Pakistan's Presidency. Wall
Street Journal. Accessed 2009-12-22.
10.^ "Zardari education background a mystery".
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/03/21/Zardari_education_background_a_mystery/UPI-
93891206120117/.
11.^ "Zardari a London graduate: PPP". http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?
page=2008\03\12\story_12-3-2008_pg7_17.
12.^ Wilkinson, Isambard (21 Jul 2009). "Pakistan president Asif Zardari bans jokes ridiculing him".
The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/5878525/Pakistan-
president-Asif-Zardari-bans-jokes-ridiculing-him.html. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
13.^ Isambard Wilkinson (September 4, 2008). Profile: Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's probable next
president, is living the dream. The Telegraph. Accessed 2009-06-06.
14.^ a b Profile: Pakistan: leaders. (May 7, 2009). BBC. Accessed 2009-06-06.
15.^ Fasih Ahmed and Ron Moreau (August 20, 2008). Zardari on the Hot Seat. Newsweek.
Accessed 2009-06-06.
16.^ "Swiss close case against Zardari; $60 mln unfrozen". August 26, 2008.
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLQ17107020080826. Retrieved June 13,
2009.
17.^ http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2008/02/2008525184051439106.html
18.^ http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/z/asif_ali_zardari/index.html
19.^ Alastair Lawson (December 10, 1999). 'Surrey Palace' saga for Benazir. BBC. Accessed 2009-
06-06.
20.^ "House of graft: tracing the Bhutto millions". The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/09/world/house-graft-tracing-bhutto-millions-special-report-
bhutto-clan-leaves-trail.html. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
21.^ Ansar Abbasi (November 3, 2009). Zardari and Bilawal buy 300 acres of land in Islamabad
22.^ Minority staff report for permanent subcommittee on investigations hearing on private banking
and money laundering: a case study of opportunities and vulnerabilities (November 9, 1999)
senate.gov. Accessed 2009-06-06.
23.^ Pakistan presidential candidate Asif Ali Zardari 'suffering from severe mental problems'
(August 26, 2008). Telegraph. Accessed 2009-02-10.
24.^ Andrew Buncombe and Omar Waraich (August 26, 2008). Questions raised over Zardari
mental health. The Independent. Accessed 2009-02-20.
25.^ Haqqani says Zardari has no current mental condition (September 2, 2008). The Nation.
Accessed 2009-02-20.
26.^ a b Mudassir Raja (March 6, 2008). Asif Ali Zardari cleared in five corruption cases. dawn.com.
Accessed 2009-06-06.
27.^ Asif Ali Zardari does not desire Prime Minister office Top News
28.^ Channelnewsasia.com
29.^ "Bhutto's widower calls for unity". CNN.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/20/pakistan/index.html. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
30.^ "Pakistan leaders agree on coalition", CNN.com, 21 February 2008.
31.^ Asif emerges as 'Mr Clean' after acquittal in last case
32.^ "Zardari plea to end NRO cases adjourned until 16th". Daily Times, Pakistan. 30 August 2008.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C08%5C30%5Cstory_30-8-
2008_pg7_35.
33.^ http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=90269&videoChannel=1&refresh=true
34.^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7575958.stm
35.^ a b radionetherlands.nl, Pakistan to choose president on 6 September
36.^ Asif Ali Zardari was elected President, Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 6 September 2008 after
receiving 66% votes. timesofindia.indiatimes.com, Pakistan presidential poll on September 6
37.^ U.N. Envoy's Ties to Pakistani Are Questioned
38.^ afp.google.com, Zardari wins Pakistan presidential election: officials
39.^ news.bbc.co.uk, Bhutto's widower wins presidency
40.^ "Bhutto’s Widower Wins Pakistani Presidency". The New York Times (New York, NY: The
New York Times Company). 2008-09-06.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/world/asia/07zardari.html?hp. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
 41.^ timesofindia.indiatimes.com, Zardari front-runner
42.^ afp.google.com, Bhutto's widower set to become Pakistan president
43.^ thenews.com.pk, Presidential election polling completed in Senate, underway in assemblies
44.^ Jane Perlez, "Bhutto's widower takes office in Pakistan", International Herald Tribune, 9
September 2008.
45.^ http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/04/top3.htm
46.^ http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/04/top2.htm
47.^ http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17208
48.^ Zahid Hussain (September 6, 2008). "From jail to high office: the strange journey of Asif Ali
Zardari". The Times (London).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4687053.ece. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
49.^ Ghuman, Zulfiqar (2009-07-07). "Zardari for repeal of 17th Amend, 58(2b)".
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C07%5C07%5Cstory_7-7-2009_pg1_5.
Retrieved 2009-07-27.
50.^ http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=70583&sectionid=351020401
51.^ http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/sep/26/i-am-following-benazirs-path-says-zardari.htm
52.^ "Zardari, Hu Jintao discuss bilateral relations". February 24, 2009. http://www.geo.tv/2-24-
2009/35859.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
53.^ Saltonstall, David (2008-10-02). "Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari". Daily News.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/10/02/2008-10-
02_pakistan_president_asif_ali_zardari_subj.html. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
54.^ "Obama, Karzai, Zardari Meet". May 14, 2009. http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/2009-05-14-
voa4.cfm. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
55.^ Deng Shasha (May 22, 2009). "Pakistani leaders vow to work with new Indian gov't".
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/22/content_11420690.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
56.^ Interfaith harmony

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Asif Ali Zardari

Wikinews has related news: Asif Ali Zardari

• V.V.I.P - New website lunch for Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
• Profile: Asif Zardari from BBC News
• President Asif Ali Zardari's address to the 63rd session of the United Nations General
Assembly, September 25, 2008
• Pakistan's presidential election at Dawn
• Profile: Asif Ali Zardari on WikiMir (edited/moderated by Pakistanis)

Party political offices

 Co-Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples
Preceded by Party Incumbent
Benazir Bhutto 2007–present
Served alongside: Bilawal Zardari Bhutto

Political offices

Preceded by President of Pakistan

Muhammad Mian Soomro 2008–present Incumbent
Acting

Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari

Marriage Profile
By Sheri & Bob Stritof

Benazir Bhutto's arranged marriage to Asif Zardari in 1987 surprised many people. Their marriage endured
separation due to Asif's imprisonment and separation due to Benazir's politics. Their marriage ended when Benazir
was assassinated on December 27, 2007.

Here is information about their arranged marriage, how they met, their wedding, children, and more.

9/6/08: "The widower [Asif Ali Zardari] of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto will succeed Pervez Musharraf as
president of Pakistan after winning a landslide victory in Saturday's election."
Source: MSNBC.msn.com

Born:

Benazir Bhutto: June 21, 1953 in Karachi, Pakistan.

Asif Ali Zardari: July 21, 1953 in Pakistan.

Died:

Benazir Bhutto: December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto was 54 years old when she was
assassinated in a combined shooting and bombing attack while she was attending a rally.

Bhutto / Zardari Arranged Marriage:

In Pakistan, there is more respect given to married women than to single women. Additionally, a single woman
would not be allowed to be head of state. This reality helped Benazir make the decision to agree to an arranged
marriage.

After their arranged marriage was announced on July 29, 1987, Asif sent Benazir roses every day and gave her a
heartshaped ring of diamonds and sapphires. Benazir had met Asif five days before the public announcement of
their planned winter wedding.
 An Almost Traditional Wedding:

On December 18, 1987, at the Clifton Palace garden in Karachi, Pakistan, Benazir and Asif had an almost
traditional Pakistani wedding.

Concerned about how some of the Pakistani wedding traditions were extravagant and difficult for poor families,
Benazir broke with tradition by trying to keep their wedding simple. She eliminated the dowry, had only two
shalwar kameez instead of the traditional nearly 51 dresses and wore only one layer of jewelry.

Benazir wore a white silk tunic with gold-embroidery. Asif wore a turban and a cream-colored tunic.
Bhutto / Zardari Wedding Photo

Asif and Benazir and their families had several days of celebration. The couple said "yes" three times, and at their
wedding ceremony Benazir and Asif looked into a mirror together so they could see themselves as a married
couple for the first time. Sugar was ground over their heads so their lives would be sweet.

Although their wedding ceremony was small and private, in the streets after their wedding there were 100,000
political supporters dancing, singing, firing guns in the air, and enjoying fireworks.

Children:

Asif and Benazir have a son and two daughters.

• Bilawal: He was born in September 1988. After the death of his mother, Benazir, Bilawal was
appointed co-chairman with his father, Asif, of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
• Bakhtwar:
• Aseefa:

Occupations:

Benazir: Former Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Asif Ali Zardari: Businessman, building contractor, Member of National Assembly and Senator, member of The
Zardari Four polo team.

Residences:

Bhutto and Zardari had a mansion with nine bedrooms on 355 acress in Rockwood, England. The home also had an
indoor swimming pool, a helicopter landing pad, and 15 acres of gardens.

They also had a home in Dubai.

Quotes About Their Marriage:

Benazir's announcement of her arranged marriage: “Conscious of my religious obligations and duty to my
family, I am pleased to proceed with the marriage proposal accepted by my mother.”
Source: Christina Lamb, "My 20-year friendship with Benazir Bhutto began at her wedding", TimesOnLine.co.uk,
10/21/2007.
 Benazir about deciding to have an arranged marriage: "In a Moslem society, it's not done for women and
men to meet each other, so it's very difficult to get to know each other, and, my being the leader of the largest
opposition party in Pakistan, it would have been a lot of rumor to the grist and bad for the image if I had chosen
another course."
Source: Howell Raines, "Benazir Bhutto to Marry, in a Pact by 2 Families", NYTimes.com, 07/31/1987.

Benazir about meeting Asif: "I did meet him, and because I felt he's nice and had a sense of humor and he
seemed to be a tolerant person in that he could handle having a wife who had an independent career of her own, I
thought it was wise to accept the proposal."
Source: Howell Raines, "Benazir Bhutto to Marry, in a Pact by 2 Families", NYTimes.com, 07/31/1987.

Benazir about not being free to marry for love: "For me the choice was not between a love marriage or an
arranged marriage but between agreeing to this or not getting married at all ... An arranged marriage may seem
traditional, but what is not traditional is the fact I'm not abandoning my identity or my career. If I had thought it
might hurt my political career, I know I would never have taken this step. I would never have gotten married at
any stage. I would have never sought personal happiness at the cost of my country. If people have given their
lives for the cause of freedom and constitutional rule, then I surely could have sacrificed marriage and children."
Source: Tyler Marshall, "Political Maverick Bows to Muslim custom", Los Angeles Times, 08/07/1987.

Benazir on love and marriage: "I was always told by my elders that love comes after a marriage. In an
arranged marriage, there is a mental commitment. You know that you are marrying somebody and he is going to
be a part of your life forever. It's a very strange kind of mental journey, which I have not read about or heard
about, but feel my own self experiencing."
Source: Steven R. Weisman, "The Bride Wore White -- 100,000 Sang Slogans", New York Times, 12/19/1987.

Benazir on keeping her own name: "Benazir Bhutto doesn't cease to exist the moment she marries; she's the
same person. I am keeping my own name."
Source: "Joyous Pandemonium Erups Bhutto Weds Man Chosen for Her by Her Mother", Los Angeles Times,
12/18/1987.

Asif on not leaving her and then being imprisoned: "I cannot abandon my wife and children. I would rather
die than abandon all of you."
Source: Claudia Dreifus, "Real-Live Dynasty; Benazir Bhutto", NYTimes.com, 05/15, 1994.