Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, the daughter of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, has shared then-and-now images of UAE leaders with her parents to coincide with her father’s recent official visit to the Emirates.
Zardari, the widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto – the first female prime minister of an Islamic state – began his second term as President in March 2024. He arrived on a four-day official visit to the UAE on Monday.
One composite image shared by Bakhtawar shows her mother alongside UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. While the date of the photograph is unclear, Zardari, whom Bhutto married in 1987, also appears in the image. Bakhtawar is visible as a child, along with her older brother Bilawal and younger sister Aseefa.
The other half of the image shows Zardari meeting President Sheikh Mohamed at Al Bahr Palace in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Zardari’s three children are also pictured, with Bakhtawar seated next to her husband, Mahmood Chaudhry, a Pakistani businessman based in the UAE.
“May Allah always protect them,” Bakhtawar captioned the post.
A second composite image shows Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, meeting Zardari, his children and Chaudhry at Za’abeel Palace on Wednesday. The accompanying archival photograph shows the three children seated with Sheikh Mohammed, as their mother, Benazir Bhutto, looks on.
“Embraced by the same kindness, love and humility – always. May Allah protect His Highness,” Bakhtawar wrote.
In a separate post, Bakhtawar also shared photos of Sheikh Zayed with her maternal grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and Prime Minister from 1973 to 1977.
Benazir Bhutto served two terms from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996. She went into self-exile 1998 following an election loss and lived between Dubai and London for nearly a decade. She was assassinated on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan by a gunman who then set off a bomb, killing 24 others.
Her son, Bilawal, who is now 37, became the chairman of Pakistan People's Party following his mother's death.
Zardari's visit to the UAE focused on economic, trade and investment fields, state news agency Wam reported.
“Our partnership with Pakistan is old, deeply rooted, and ongoing,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote on X. “The Pakistani community in the country are our brothers and they have our full appreciation and respect.”
About 1.7 million Pakistani citizens live in the Emirates, the second-largest expatriate population in the country.
