Benazir’s wax statue unveiled at Madame Tussauds in Dubai

DUBAI: Pakistan’s first female prime minister the late Benazir Bhutto’s wax figure on Sunday joined the ranks of prominent global leaders at the Madame Tussauds in Dubai.

Benazir was the first woman to be elected as the prime minister of Pakistan twice. She was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack on December 27, 2007, after leaving her party’s last rally in Rawalpindi‚ two weeks before the scheduled general election of 2008 in which she was the leading opposition candidate. She was also the first female elected prime minister in the Muslim world. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on an official visit, also attended the unveiling ceremony of the wax figure of his late mother at the wax museum. Addressing the event, Bilawal said, “I am very thankful to Madame Tussauds for having us here today.” He maintained that it was indeed an honour and privilege that they were unveiling the statue of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto here at the Madame Tussauds in Dubai. The foreign minister said that he had first seen this statue at the wax museum in London. Recalling his memories, the minister said that her mother had spent around 10 years in Dubai when they were in exile. “So, we have a close attachment to the city and the country,” Bilawal added. Bilawal said that they were grateful that the memory of her mother was being honoured there in the form of a wax statue. “She is a symbol of democracy, freedom and equal rights for women across the world in the peaceful, prosperous and progressive face of Pakistan.” He thanked the entire team at the museum for creating the wax figure of her assassinated mother.