Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
Asif Ali Zardari, (born July 26, 1955, Karachi, Pakistan), politician who served as president of Pakistan (2008–13) and de facto leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) following the assassination of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, on December 27, 2007.
Asif Ali Zardari
QUICK FACTS
Asif Ali Zardari, 2008.
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BORN
July 26, 1955 (age 65)
Karāchi, Pakistan
TITLE / OFFICE
President, Pakistan (2008-2013)
POLITICAL AFFILIATION
Pakistan People’s Party
NOTABLE FAMILY MEMBERS
Spouse Benazir Bhutto
Early Life And Marriage
Zardari—the son of Hakim Ali Zardari, a Sindhi landlord, businessman, and politician—was educated at Saint Patrick’s School in Karachi and later studied business in London. He gained a reputation as a playboy and gadfly for his easygoing lifestyle; an avid polo player and an intense competitor, Zardari demonstrated little interest in the political scene. His betrothal to Bhutto, who was the daughter of former president (1971–73) and prime minister (1973–77) Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and whom he had first met five days prior to the public announcement of their engagement, surprised many observers. On December 18, 1987, the two were married in an arranged and relatively simple ceremony, and they went on to have three children: a son, Bilawal, and two daughters, Bakhtwar and Asifa.
Entrance Into Political Life
The couple had been married less than a year when Pres. Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq was killed, ending more than a decade of military rule. Bhutto’s subsequent success at the polls ushered her into office as prime minister. In 1990 her tenure was cut short by corruption-related scandal, however, and both Zardari and his wife were the focus of attacks from opposition politicians as well as disgruntled members of the PPP, Bhutto’s own party. Arrested on kidnapping and extortion charges, Zardari was imprisoned in 1990, and, following his release in 1993, corruption allegations against him multiplied (some labeled him “Mr. Ten Percent,” alleging he took kickbacks on large government contracts during Bhutto’s tenure in office).
Zardari served as a member of the National Assembly from 1990 to 1993—during which time he was periodically released from prison to attend sessions—and from 1993 to 1996. After Bhutto’s return to power in 1993, he served as minister of the environment (1993–96) and federal minister for investment (1995–96) in her government. Zardari aggressively sought control of the PPP, but he was the subject of ever-increasing criticism from opponents within and outside the party. In addition, Zardari was deeply involved in a Bhutto family feud led by Bhutto’s brother, Murtaza, and mother, Nusrat; the conflict between Zardari and Murtaza over leadership of the Bhutto clan ruptured the PPP and destabilized Bhutto’s government. The Murtaza-Zardari rivalry ended abruptly on September 20, 1996, when Murtaza was shot and killed by
Zardari was implicated in Murtaza’s death, and, following the second dissolution of Bhutto’s government in November 1996, he was arrested on charges that included corruption, money laundering, and murder. Although never convicted, Zardari was imprisoned from 1997 to 2004; he was elected to the Senate from his jail cell during this time. The toll exacted on Zardari’s health by his imprisonment was considerable. Following his release, Zardari sought medical treatment in the United States for psychological distress. He returned to Pakistan with Bhutto’s resumption of political activity in 2007 and was given amnesty for his alleged offenses. Following Bhutto’s death in December 2007, Zardari named his son, Bilawal, chairman of the PPP and made himself the party’s cochairman.
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