Legacy

Although most people in the world remember Benazir Bhutto in her western, more positive image, her legacy is much more complex. On one hand, she is seen as a symbol of women’s empowerment in Pakistan and a forward thinker in the Islam world with a sincere desire to bring democracy to Pakistan, a country which has seen more military rule than most other nations in the world, she has also picked negative press due to the increased corruption and lack of achievements during her two terms as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Of course, her efforts and her struggle to continue her father’s dreams remain a lasting legacy that is deeply respected, even among her greatest rivals. At the same time, however, she did not truly accomplish much. Along with numerous corruption charges, there are several controversies surrounding her. These include a defense cooperation between North Korea and Pakistan. Apparently, in a state visit paid by this controversial woman in 1994 to North Korea, Bhutto closed a deal of the transfer of North Korean missile technology in return of nuclear technology. She is the first political leader in Pakistan to call for nuclear tests as well. For this, she earned a lot of criticism at the global level. Furthermore, Bhutto’s efforts to improve relations with India also proved to be unsuccessful.

She did promise to work towards the removal of the bad condition of women rights in Pakistan, but, based on the general census, she was not able to create any tangible improvement to the lives of the women in need of health care and education. Despite promises to repeal the Hudood Ordinance which treats women as second class citizens, she was not able to do much in this direction either. 

In summary, Benazir Bhutto has certainly left behind a mixed legacy. Her most important positive legacy was perhaps her strident opposition to the military rule of Zia-al-Huq and Pervez Musharraf. She also made history by becoming a female Prime Minister of Pakistan twice and showed the world she could rule a turbulent country as well as any other man. But Bhutto’s long-term legacy in most areas, especially the security and foreign affairs realms, is largely negative due to numerous corruption charges.