<P> Bhutto was highly confident that her party would secure an overwhelming victory in the coming Senate elections in 1999, due to the prime minister's widening unpopularity . Controversially, when the Pakistani armed forced initiated a coup d'état, Bhutto neither criticised nor issued any comment, remaining silent on supporting General Musharraf, as Dalrymple notes . She continued to support Musharraf's coordinated arrests of the supporters and staff of Sharif . Musharraf destroyed Sharif's political presence in Sindh and Kashmir provinces . Many political offices in Sharif's constituency or district were forcibly closed and many sympathisers were jailed . In 2002, Bhutto and the MQM made a side - line deal with Musharraf that allows both to continue underground political activities in Sindh and Kashmir, and to fill the gap after Musharraf had destroyed Sharif's presence in the both provinces . The effects of the arrests was seen clearly in the 2008 parliamentary elections, when Nawaz Sharif failed to secure support back in those two provinces . </P> <P> After President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed Bhutto's first government on 6 August 1990 because of corruption allegations, the government of Pakistan directed its intelligence agencies to investigate . Nawaz Sharif became prime minister in the ensuing elections and intensified prosecution investigation of Bhutto . Pakistani embassies through western Europe--in France, Switzerland, Spain, Poland and Britain--were directed to investigate . Bhutto and her husband Zardari faced several legal proceedings, including a charge in Switzerland of money - landering through Swiss banks . While never convicted, Zardari spent eight years in prison on similar corruption charges . Released on bail in 2004, Zardari hinted that while in prison he was tortured; human rights groups have supported his claim that his rights were violated . </P> <P> A 1998 New York Times (NYT) investigative report claims that Pakistani investigators have documents that outine a network of bank accounts, all linked to the family's lawyer in Switzerland, naming Asif Zardari as the principal shareholder . According to the NYT article, documents released by the French authorities indicate that Zardari offered exclusive rights to Dassault, a French aircraft manufacturer, to replace the aging fighter jets of the Indian Air Force in exchange for a 5% commission to be paid to a Swiss corporation he controlled . The article also said that a Dubai company received an exclusive license to import gold into Pakistan, for which it paid more than $10 million into Zardari's Dubai - based Citibank accounts . The owner of the Dubai company denied making the payments and said the documents were forged . </P> <P> Bhutto maintained that the charges against her and her husband were purely political . A report by a Pakistani auditor - general (AGP) supports Bhutto's claim . It presents information suggesting that Benazir Bhutto was ousted from power in 1990 as the result of a witch hunt approved by then - president Ghulam Ishaq Khan . The AGP report says Khan illegally paid legal advisers 28 million rupees to file 19 corruption cases against Bhutto and her husband in 1990--92 . </P>

Who was the first woman president of pakistan