Bhutto family

The Bhutto family is a Pakistani political family, based in Sindh. The Bhuttos have played a prominent role in Pakistani politics and government. The family has held the leadership of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), since its inception in 1967. The Bhuttos have been settled in Sindh for over three centuries. Two members of the family, Zulfikar and Benazir Bhutto, have been the Prime Ministers of Pakistan, whereas Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir's widower served as the President of Pakistan, from 2008 to 2013. History According to historian Stanley Wolpert, the Bhuttos were Rajput who originally migrated to Sindh in the early 18th century from the neighboring region of Gujratra (now Rajasthan in India). 'Sehto' was the first member of the Bhutto family, who converted to Islam, during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's reign, to enjoy the jizya exemptions enjoyed by Muslims. Following the conversion to Islam he took the title of Khan, becoming Sehto Khan. In Sindh, the Bhuttos under Sehto Khan first settled at Ratodero, a few miles north of Larkana. Shah Nawaz Bhutto, a direct descendant of Sehto Khan, came to prominence during the British Raj as a dewan of the princely state of Junagadh in the southwestern part of Gujarat in India. During the Partition of India in 1947, the Muslim Nawab of Junagarh wanted to accede his state to the newly-created Pakistan but faced a rebellion by the Hindu majority population of Junagadh. The Indian government thwarted the accession to Pakistan, and the Bhuttos had to flee to Sindh in modern-day Pakistan. Shah Nawaz Bhutto moved to Larkana District in Sindh, where his land-ownership made him one of the wealthiest and most influential persons in Sindh.