Benazir Bhutto's son appointed as adviser to Pakistan

Bilawal Bhutto speaks in Islamabad on April 4, 2022 – AFP

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007, was officially appointed as the foreign minister in the new Pakistani government led by Shahbaz Sharif, Wednesday.

Bilawal Bhutto, son of former President Asif Ali Zardari, and grandson of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (executed in 1979), at the age of 33, became one of the world’s youngest foreign ministers.

On Twitter, Bhutto said it was “an honor” to take on the role.

“Together with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), we will be part of restoring democracy, with electoral reforms, struggle for a fairer economy, and strengthening Pakistan on the international stage.”

On his first official trip, Bhutto will accompany Prime Minister Sharif to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s important trading partner.

Shahbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML N) took over as prime minister after a censure note was issued against Prime Minister Imran Khan on 10 April, with the support of Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party.

The two rival parties dominated national political life for decades, before joining other smaller parties to oust Khan.

Bhutto, who will play the same role as his grandfather in the 1960s, will have to manage a complex portfolio focused on mending relations with the United States, which Khan accused of plotting to end his rule.

Bhutto, who graduated from Oxford University in the UK, is seen as a progressive, like his mother Benazir, and has often spoken out in favor of women’s and minority rights.

An informative and charismatic outlet, Bhutto is popular with young people in Pakistan (where half the population is under 22), although she has been derided for her poor knowledge of Urdu, the national language.