BENAZIR BHUTTO: A DAUGHTER OF DESTINY AND A SYMBOL OF RESISTANCE

Abstract

          This qualitative research examines the symbolic legacy of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's first woman Prime Minister, as a political resistance and gendered leadership figure. Based on thematic content analysis of her speeches, autobiography (Daughter of the East), four dominant themes are identified: dynastic political heritage, gendered leadership in a patriarchal society, resistance to authoritarian regimes, and her evolution into a martyr of democracy. Bhutto's life was defined by personal sacrifice, ideological conviction, and long-standing opposition to military rule. The research places her as both a product and a critic of dynastic politics and as a universal symbol of women's political agency in Muslim societies. Through the connection of empirical evidence with feminist and political resistance theory, the research makes contributions to symbolic leadership, South Asian politics, and the gendered aspects of political martyrdom literature.