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The Exchange | Long-form interviews from the New Statesman
Fatima Bhutto feels lucky, even after watching her father's assassination
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Fatima Bhutto was born into exile - and into one of the most powerful political dynasties in South Asia.
Her life has been shaped by both privilege and profound personal tragedy.
Born in Afghanistan, she spent her early years displaced, after her grandfather, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was executed under General Zia-ul-Haq’s military regime.
Her childhood was marked by instability and violence. Her father, Murtaza Bhutto, became involved in militant activism linked to acts including a political assassination and a plane hijacking.
When the family returned to Pakistan, tensions deepened. Though it was his own sister Benazir Bhutto in power, Murtaza was killed in a police encounter - a death that Fatima has long held her aunt responsible for.
In 2007, Benazir Bhutto herself was assassinated.
Today, the Bhutto name still carries political weight in Pakistan. Her uncle is currently the president. But Fatima Bhutto has chosen a different path, as a writer - exploring her family’s turbulent history as well as the emerging popular culture of the global south, and moving between memoir, fiction, and reportage. Now, she returns with her most personal story yet...
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