Islamabad, 29 March

Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the youngest daughter of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who is her lookalike, was on Friday elected unopposed as a member of the parliament.

Aseefa had filed a nomination for the National Assembly seat NA-207 from Shaheed Benazirabad (formerly Nawabshah) area of Sindh province for the by-election scheduled for next month.

According to a notification issued by the Returning Office of the area, Aseefa was elected unopposed after three candidates who had filed papers against her withdrew their names from the contest. The three candidates were Abdul Rasool Brohi, Amanullah and Mairaj Ahmed. It left her with no challenger and she was declared a winner in her maiden electoral contest.

The seat was vacated by her father, Asif Ali Zardari after he was elected as the president. Aseefa said she was “grateful and honoured” to be elected unopposed by the constituency.

“I pledge to serve all my constituents to the best of my abilities, with dedication and irrespective of political affiliation,” she said in a post on X.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in politics and sociology and a master’s in global health and development. Aseefa initially served as a goodwill ambassador for polio eradication in 2012 which made her face familiar among masses.

Her father, President Zardari, had announced plans to make Aseefa the country's first lady.