Bhutto Takes Prime Minister Seat--Briefly

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan —  Benazir Bhutto temporarily took the prime minister’s seat in the Pakistani Parliament today as her nine-year crusade to avenge her father’s execution neared its end.

“It feels a little strange to be here,” she told reporters as she entered the white marble National Assembly building in Islamabad. An aide brushed away a tear of emotion.

“Coming through the halls today, I realized how important the struggle had been to reach Parliament,” she said. “Although there are many restrictions, we are still hopeful to bring change.”

Bhutto, 35, is widely considered certain to be nominated Thursday as the Muslim world’s first woman prime minister. Her main rival, Nawaz Sharif, bowed out of the contest today by opting to sit in the Punjab provincial assembly.

Parliamentary officials led her to the front-row seat last occupied by Mohammed Khan Junejo, fired in May as prime minister by the late President Zia ul-Haq. Her mother, Nusrat, also elected this month, sat beside her.

Bhutto, her hair covered Pakistani-style by a yellow shawl, was the first to sign the membership roll as her supporters cheered and applauded.

Her Pakistan People’s Party won 45% of the seats in the Nov. 16 elections and says it has the support of enough independents to secure a majority.

The elections were the first fought by political parties since Zia, who died in a plane crash in August, overthrew Bhutto’s father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in 1977. He was later executed.

“After 11 1/2 years it’s a fine thing,” her father-in-law, Hakim Ali Zardari, who also won a seat, commented to reporters.

Benazir Bhutto assumed her father’s political mantle, campaigning against Zia throughout years of imprisonment, exile and impotent opposition.

Zia’s death robbed her of personal revenge but removed the main obstacle to her coming to power. Her father’s legacy proved strong enough to give her partial victory at the polls.