Fatima Bhutto: My partner controlled me; my dog set me free

Fatima Bhutto is a daughter of one of Pakistan's most famous political dynasties, and one that is no stranger to turbulence and trauma. Her grandfather and former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged in 1979. Her uncle, Shahnawaz, was found dead, allegedly poisoned, in 1985. Her aunt, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated at a rally in 2007. And in 1996 when Fatima was just 14, her beloved father, Murtaza, was shot in an encounter with police. She was consumed by grief.

Years later in 2010, Fatima felt ready to write a memoir about her father's murder. But it led to a resurgence of emotion that left her unable to speak and stricken with anxiety and panic attacks. It was then that she met someone who promised to help. Fatima calls him 'The Man', and he claimed to not only recognise her problems but also had the solution to fix them. What unfolded was a decade-long relationship that Fatima describes as toxic and coercive.

She longed to become a mother but The Man made her wait, with a stream of excuses and promises. In her sadness, Fatima bought a Jack Russell terrier called Coco and her life slowly began to change – before finally, her dog's unfaltering love helped her to escape The Man and find what she'd always wanted.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Anna Lacey and Saskia Collette

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(Photo: Fatima Bhutto is sitting by an open window with her hand to her chin. Credit: Pankaj Mishra)