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Politcal Portrait of Benazir Bhutto

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INTRODUCTION Personality of a political leader has remained a major issue of discussion among the scholars especially in the third world countries like Pakistan. Personality of a leader has central importance in re-shaping the foreign policy of a country, because it is he/she who outlines the objectives and goals of foreign policy of his/her country. Leaders are the actors who enter the World stage, play their roles and leave. They make history by their acts and deeds. Debates as to what they did and what they could have done to realize their political ideas and commitments goes on for long time. We can say that it is a leader who construct or disfigure the country. It is observed that personality plays an important role and due to its personal characteristics it succeeds in political sphere. Benazir Bhutto is a leader who when in the office, never the staff at foreign office, into confidence in certain policies through which she sets the directions of the discourse in the arena of foreign policy of Pakistan with other States especially the US. Benazir Bhutto as a political leader has many traits through which she acts and reacts at different times. Her sharpness, tactfulness, skill, hardworking nature as well as egocentric, which are much related to trait theories through which various traits of Benazir Bhutto can be examined. Being a courageous and tough-minded politician she is also an exceedingly skilful tactician. The fact remains that during both of her tenures she never enjoyed a sigh of relief. She was always under a stress of one type or the other. She faced all this including the danger of being killed with great courage. Tactful, tough-mindedness, self-control, she is cool headed and takes challenge with forbearance. Benazir Bhutto's personality played an important role and dominated in national affairs for considerable period of time. She focused attention to foreign policy making. Her views of the world and personal political style have more opportunity to make an impact on the foreign policy styles and strategies of her government. Benazir Bhutto being the head of the Government definitely had an interest in foreign affairs, which is manifested by attention she paid to foreign policy making. She took all the major foreign policy decisions by her own. Benazir Bhutto is no doubt a charismatic personality and her charisma is manifested in her ability to draw huge crowds wherever she goes. Her speeches are simple and direct often achieving the intimacy of private conversation with occasional flashes of homespun wit, which appeal the common man. BENAZIR BHUTTO'S EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION The Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto was born at Karachi on June 21st, 1953. Being the first child of the family she was very much beloved of her family. As we know that in the male dominated society boy child had always been given favored on girl child, but in her father there was no any such type of discrimination. He wanted that she must set an example for his family as he Z.A Bhutto himself was. She writes, «like his father before, my father wanted to make examples out of us the next generation of educated and progressive Pakistanis » [1]. For this purpose Benazir at her earliest age was send in one of the top schools of Karachi. As she herself writes, «at three I was send to Lady Jennings Nursery School then at five to one of the top schools in Karachi the Convent of Jesus and Mary »[1]. As a Muslim woman she completed the reading of Holy Quran at her home in evening time. Due to her father's heavy responsibilities her mother Nussrat Bhutto had to join her husband Z.A Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto was the only elder member of her family after her parents so she was also made the in-charge of the home in the absence of her parents to look after the matters of the home. This was her first responsibility at this age. When she grew up to the age of seven and due to the state responsibilities of her father, her family shifted to Rawalpindi where she was enrolled in the «Presentation Convent » for further education. After completion of her primary education in Rawalpindi at the age of ten her father sent her and her younger sister Sanam to boarding school at Murree, because her father was of the opinion that if Benazir will stay in boarding school she will be able to take care of her own. Like her father Benazir was very much fond of reading. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto used to take her along with him to the famous bookstores in Rawalpindi where historical books and selected biographies of great personalities of the world were her preferred choice. Benazir thoroughly enjoyed her stay at Murree. She made many good friends there; she also took an active part in curricular as well as in co-curricular activities and proved as one of the best students of the school because of that she became apple of the eyes of her teachers as well as her parents. She never created trouble for her teachers or parent

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