For Abdullah Shah, a devoted supporter of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), it was as if the late Benazir Bhutto has a comeback when he saw her youngest daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari taking oath as a member of the National Assembly (MNA) on Monday.
Witnessing a poignant moment flashing on the TV screens, Shah couldn’t help but feel that the essence of the late Benazir Bhutto returning to parliament. Embodying the spirit of her legendary mother, Aseefa, also known as Bibi Aseefa, donned a striking blue dress with a white dupatta.
On Monday, Aseefa made her parliamentary debut after winning unopposed the by-election in NA-207 Shaheed Benazirabad. At the oath-taking the devout supporters of the PPP saw a striking resemblance to the later former prime minister, when she took oath for the first time in 1988.
“I was too young when late Benazir Bhutto first entered the National Assembly,” Shah recalled. “But today, witnessing Bibi Aseefa’s confidence, her voice, and her familiar smile, it’s as if Bibi Aseefa carries her mother’s legacy forward.”
Aseefa has been playing active role in the PPP’s political activities for quite some time. During the election campaigns for the February 8 general elections, particularly in Sindh, she led rallies in different areas, and caught significant attention nationwide, particularly among the women.
The party activists call her ‘Aks-e-Benazir’ [Image of Benazir], as many saw striking similarities between her and her mother. “Tum he ho dukhtar-e-Pakistan” [You’re the daughter of Pakistan], a song was dedicated to her during her election rallies.
With her concise yet powerful speeches, she encouraged party workers to come out to vote, effectively galvanised voters to throw their support behind the party, with the prospect of her brother, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, ascending to the position of prime minister.
By Tribune
