Fatima Bhutto (Poet/Writer/Journalist)
Fatima Bhutto, born 29 May 1982, is a Pakistani poet and writer. She is granddaughter of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the niece of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and daughter of Murtaza Bhutto.
She came to fame after the appearance of her first book, a collection of poems, titled Whispers of the Desert. She received notable coverage for her second book, 8:50 a.m. 8 October 2005.
She currently writes columns for The Daily Beast, New Statesman and other publications. She is active in Pakistan's socio-political arena, supporting her mother Ghinwa Bhutto's party the Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto), but says she has no desire to run for political office.
Fatima Bhutto is from a Sindhi family. She was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, while her father Murtaza Bhutto, the son of former Pakistan's President and Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, was in exile during the military regime of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Her mother is Fauzia Fasihudin Bhutto, daughter of Afghanistan's former Foreign Affairs official.
Her father was killed by the police in 1996 in Karachi during the premiership of his sister, Benazir Bhutto. Her parents divorced when she was young and Ghinwa Bhutto became her stepmother in 1989. Years later, her mother unsuccessfully attempted to gain parental custody of Fatima.
She lives with her stepmother Ghinwa Bhutto, and her half-brother Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Jr. They live at the famous residence 70 Clifton Road in Old Clifton, Karachi.
Bhutto completed her B.A. degree in Middle Eastern studies from Barnard College, Columbia University in Manhattan, USA, after receiving her secondary education at the Karachi American School. She received a master's degree in South Asian Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
The title of Bhutto's book 8.50 a.m. 8 October 2005 marks the moment of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake; it records accounts of those affected. She has also written a book of poetry, Whispers in the Desert; a memoir, Songs of Blood and Sword, was published in April 2010.
Following the assassination of her aunt, Benazir Bhutto, her entrance into politics has been speculated. She has stated that for now she prefers to remain active through her writing, rather than through elected office.
However, she actively supports her mother's chairmanship of the unpopular wing of the Pakistan Peoples Party, which failed to win a single seat in the 2008 elections. She believes in democracy and not birthright politics. Her latest book is Songs of Blood and Sword : A Daughter's Memoir which is a biography of the Bhutto family, mainly the political account of her father Mir Murtaza Bhutto.
Related Links:
Fatima Bhutto on Wikipedia
Fatima Bhutto Official Website