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Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto The Oxonian Society - New York, NY On December 2, 1988 Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman ever to lead a modern Islamic nation. In the preceding decade of political struggle, Ms. Bhutto was arrested on numerous occasions; in all she spent nearly 6 years either in prison or under detention for her dedicated leadership of the then opposition. Throughout the years in opposition, she pledged to transform Pakistani society by focusing attention on programs for health, social welfare and education for the underprivileged. She became active in politics after her father, the late Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was ousted from office in a 1977 military coup and later executed. Having sworn to carry her father's political flame, Benazir Bhutto, overcame government persecution and led her Party to victory in the November 1988 and October 1993 parliamentary elections.As Prime Minister, Bhutto has been praised for moving swiftly to restore civil liberties and political freedom, suspended under military rule. As Prime Minister, Bhutto emphasized the need to reduce discrimination between men and women and launched a nationwide program of health and education reform. Prime Minister Bhutto discusses democracy, Islam, and Pakistan at the Oxonian Society.