Asif Ali Zardari is a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. He is the widower of Benazir Bhutto, the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan, who was assassinated in December 2007.
Zardari was born on July 26, 1955, in Nawabshah, Sindh, Pakistan. He was educated at St. Patrick’s High School in Karachi and later studied at Cadet College Petaro. He attended a college in London for a short period before returning to Pakistan to join his family’s business.
Zardari’s political career began in the 1980s when he became involved in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). which was led by his wife. Benazir Bhutto. He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1990 and served as a federal minister in various cabinets during his wife’s two terms as Prime Minister.
In 1996, Zardari was arrested on charges of corruption and spent eight years in prison. He was released in 2004 after the charges were dropped. In 2008, he was elected President of Pakistan, succeeding Pervez Musharraf.
During his presidency, Zardari faced numerous challenges, including a struggling economy, a Taliban insurgency, and strained relations with the United States. He also oversaw the restoration of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan. which had been suspended during Musharraf’s rule.
After leaving office in 2013, Zardari continued to be active in politics and served as the co-chairman of the PPP until 2017. He has faced a number of corruption charges over the years. and his family has been embroiled in several high-profile scandals.