Bhutto family
The Bhutto family (Sindhi: ڀُٽو) is a prominent political family and among the most powerful families of Pakistan, based in the province of Sindh. Bhuttos have played a prominent role in Pakistani politics and government. The family has held the leadership of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), since its inception in 1967. The Bhuttos are of Rajput ancestry,[1] based in Sindh province. The Bhuttos have been settled in the area for over three centuries.[2]
| Bhutto family | |
|---|---|
 Bhutto family mausoleum at Garhi Khuda Baksh | |
| Current region | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Place of origin | Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Members | Shah Nawaz Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Nusrat Bhutto Benazir Bhutto Murtaza Bhutto Shahnawaz Bhutto Fatima Bhutto Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Jr |
| Connected members | Zardari family |
| Distinctions | Elite class, Political prominence |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Estate(s) | Garhi Khuda Bakhsh |
Two members of the family, Zulfikar and Benazir Bhutto, have been the Prime Minister of Pakistan, whereas Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir's widower, served as the President of Pakistan, from 2008 to 2013.
History
Bhuttos originally migrated to Sindh in the early 18th century from the neighboring region of Rajputana (now Rajasthan in India). Bhutto's paternal ancestors were Hindu Rajputs, who converted to Islam in the late 17th century. 'Sheto' was the first member of the Bhutto family, who converted to Islam, to reap tax exemptions for Muslims, during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's reign. Following the conversion he took the title of Khan, becoming 'Sheto Khan'.[3] In Sindh, Bhuttos under Sheto first settled at Ratodero, a few miles north of Larkana.
Shah Nawaz Bhutto, a direct descendant of Sheto Khan, came to prominence during the British Raj as a dewan of the princely state of Junagadh in south-western Gujarat in India. During the Partition of India in 1947, the Muslim Nawab of Junagarh wanted to accede his state to the newly created Pakistan, but he faced rebellion by the population of Junagadh, majority of whom were Hindus. The Indian government thwarted Junagadh's accession to Pakistan, and the Bhuttos fled to Sindh in modern-day Pakistan. Shah Nawaz Bhutto moved to Larkana District in Sindh, where his land-ownership made him one of the wealthiest and most influential people in Sindh.[4]
Beginning the political dynasty, Shah Nawaz's third son Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928-1979) founded the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in 1967 and served as President and Prime Minister. He married an Iranian-Kurdish woman named Nusrat Bhutto. His daughter, Benazir (1953-2007), also served as Prime Minister, while Benazir's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, later served as president from 2008 to 2013. The Bhuttos continue to dominate the leadership of the PPP. Benazir's son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari became co-chairperson in 2007.
Family tree
| Mohammad Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fatah Mohammad Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mittho Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mohammad Qasim Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abro Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sahato Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pir Bux Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Doda Khan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Khuda Bux Bhutto | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto (1862 – 1940) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shah Nawaz Bhutto (1888 – 1957) | Khursheed Begum (Lakhi Bai) | Nabi Bux Khan Bhutto (1887 – 1965) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mumtaz Begum Sahiba Bhutto | Muhammad Mustafa Khan Bahadur | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928 – 1979) | Nusrat Ispahani Bhutto (1929 – 2011) | Imdad Ali Bhutto | Sikander Ali Bhutto | Mashoq Bhutto | Mumtaz Ali Khan Bhutto (1933- ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shahnawaz Bhutto (1958 – 1985) | Raehana Fassihuddin Bhutto | Sanam Bhutto (1957- ) | Nasir Hussain | Fowzia Fassihuddin Bhutto | Murtaza Bhutto (1954 – 1996) | Ghinwa Itaoui Bhutto | Benazir Bhutto (1953 – 2007) | Asif Ali Zardari (1955- ) | Ameer Bux Bhutto (1954-) | Ali Haider Bhutto | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sassi Bhutto | Shahmir Hussain | Azadi Hussain | Fatima Bhutto (1982- ) | Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Jr. | Bilawal Zardari (1988- ) | Bakhtawar Zardari (1990-) | Asifa Zardari | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Titles
According to other authors, the family migrated from Sarsa in Hissar.[5]
- Founding father Doda Khan of Pir Bakhsh Bhutto
- Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto, Ameer Bakhsh Bhutto, Illahi Bux Bhutto (Honorary Magistrate Larkana District)
- Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto, Rasul Bakhsh Bhutto
- Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto (Member Bombay Council)
- Sardar Wahid Baksh Bhutto (Member, Central Legislative Assembly and Bombay Council, Chief of tribe)
- Nawab Nabi Bakhsh Bhutto (Member, Central Legislative Assembly)
- Khan Bahadur Ahmad Khan Bhutto
Photos
Asif Ali Zardari (husband of Benazir)
_(cropped).JPG)
See also
References
- "Zulfikar Ali Bhutto". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- Taseer, Salmaan (1980). Bhutto: a political biography (PDF). New Delhi: Vikas Pub. House. p. 9.
- Stanley Wolpert. "Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan".
- "Bhutto". www.bhutto.org.
- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: a memoir, Chakar Ali Junejo, National Commission on History and Culture, 1996, p. 7
Further reading
Political families of Pakistan | ||
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| First Families |
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| Other political families |
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