Chapter Nine, Serving the Nation Summary and Analysis

In the summer of 1987, Bhutto announced her plans to marry; Zia held elections early hoping that people would think Bhutto's marriage would force her out of politics. Bhutto, while not a traditional Pakistani, agreed to an arranged marriage. She had no way to get to know a man well enough to love him, so it was an arranged marriage or no marriage at all. Nusrat had tried to arrange a marriage for some time, but she resisted; her imprisonment caused her a great deal of psychological stress that also got in the way. Nusrat started her hunt for a son-in-law in 1985.

The man chosen was Bhutto's age and was from a wealthy family in the Sindh Province, named Asif Ali Zardari. He was an athlete and polo player. But marriage was postponed when...