Bhutto's son inherits blood-stained legacy

ISLAMABAD: At just 19 years old, a blood-stained family legacy could hang heavy on the shoulders of assassinated Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's only son Bilawal.

He becomes the third Bhutto to lead the Islamic nation's largest political party after his mother and his grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who founded the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and was executed under martial law in 1979.

Bilawal had already shown signs of following in his mother's footsteps, enrolling earlier this year at Oxford University, where Benazir Bhutto was head of the prestigious Oxford Union debating society.

Bilawal, the name means "one without equal", was born in September 1988, a month before his mother won general elections under military dictator Zia-ul-Haq to become the first female prime minister in the Muslim world.

"I went back to sleep and woke up to the sound of a congratulatory gunshot being fired outside the hospital, the beating of drums and cries of 'Jiye (Long Live) Bhutto," the slain opposition leader wrote in her autobiography.

"The most celebrated and politically controversial baby in the history of Pakistan had been born."

He and his two sisters went into exile with their mother in 1999, dividing their time between London and Dubai, where Bilawal attended school.

Reports in local newspapers said he was keen on outdoor sports including target-shooting and horse riding.

At Benazir's funeral on Friday, he was pictured looking composed despite his grief, but analysts say he is perhaps too young to be taking over the job.

"Bilawal is just 19 years old, he needs to be groomed," political analyst and retired general Talat Masood said before the teenager's appointment as chair of the PPP was announced on Sunday.