Aseefa Bhutto, the youngest daughter of President Asif Ali Zardari and a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has been elected uncontested as a member of the National Assembly from the NA-207 Shaheed Benazirabad constituency. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) confirmed her election without any opposition.
Initially, 11 candidates, including Aseefa, had submitted their nomination papers for the by-election on the vacant seat left by Zardari, who assumed the presidency after being nominated by the ruling coalition.
Following the withdrawal of three candidates and the rejection of seven nominations by the electoral authority, Aseefa emerged as the sole candidate.
Previously, Aseefa was designated as the country’s First Lady when Zardari assumed office as the 14th President of Pakistan. This decision was made by the PPP co-chairman, considering her role within the Bhutto family and consulting with party leaders. Despite the traditional association of the First Lady with the president’s wife, Zardari, being a widower since the assassination of his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007, chose to recognize Aseefa in this position.
During Zardari’s first tenure as president from 2008 to 2013, the position of First Lady remained vacant due to Aseefa being a teenager at the time. However, with her now being 31 years old, the circumstances have changed.
Aseefa actively participated in the PPP’s electoral campaign leading up to the February 8 polls, rallying support for her brother, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who was the party’s candidate for the prime minister’s post.
Her political debut occurred at a PPP rally in Multan on November 30, 2020.
