President Zardari Names Aseefa Bhutto As 'First Lady of Pakistan'

'Aseefa Bhutto will be declared as the First Lady, and an official announcement will be made in this regard.'

President Zardari Names Aseefa Bhutto As 'First Lady of Pakistan'

Aseefa Bhutto, the daughter of newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari, will become the country's First Lady, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi said on Monday.

While giving an interview to a private news channel, Kundi said, "Aseefa Bhutto will be declared the First Lady, and an official announcement will be made in this regard.

The president consulted with party officials on recognizing the Bhutto family heir as first lady. Zardari took the oath as the 14th head of state on Sunday, following his victory in the presidential election with 411 electoral votes.

After the oath-taking ceremony, rumors surfaced in the media that President Zardari intended to designate her daughter Aseefa as the first lady.

Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, the eldest daughter, tagged Aseefa in an X post on Sunday, showing her joining her father to the oath-taking ceremony.

The post on X began with the following: "From accompanying President Asif Zardari to all his court hearings to fighting for his release from jail—now by his side as First Lady of Pakistan."

A first lady is the president's spouse; however, in this case, President Zardari is a widower because his wife, former premier Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in 2007.

Aseefa had been actively involved in the party's election campaign leading up to the February 8 polls, organizing different rallies to demonstrate support for her brother Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the party's then-candidate for Prime Minister.