Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Unknown photographer. Office of President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. · Public domain · source
Name	Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Caption	Bhutto in 1971
Office	Prime Minister of Pakistan
Term start	14 August 1973
Term end	5 July 1977
President	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
Predecessor	Nurul Amin
Successor	Muhammad Khan Junejo
Office2	President of Pakistan
Term start2	20 December 1971
Term end2	13 August 1973
Predecessor2	Yahya Khan
Successor2	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
Office3	Minister of Foreign Affairs
Term start3	15 June 1963
Term end3	31 August 1966
President3	Ayub Khan
Primeminister3	Muhammad Ali Bogra, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar, Feroz Khan Noon
Predecessor3	Muhammad Ali Bogra
Successor3	Sharifuddin Pirzada
Birth date	5 January 1928
Birth place	Larkana, Sindh, British India
Death date	4 April 1979
Death place	Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Party	Pakistan Peoples Party
Spouse	Nusrat Ispahani (m. 1951)
Children	Benazir, Murtaza, Sanam, Shahnawaz
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley, Christ Church, Oxford, Lincoln's Inn
Profession	Barrister, Politician

Contents

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a prominent barrister and statesman who served as the President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 until his removal in a military coup in 1977. Founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party, he is a central and controversial figure in the nation's history, credited with drafting the Constitution of Pakistan of 1973 and initiating the country's nuclear weapons program, but also criticized for authoritarian tendencies. His government was overthrown by Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, and he was later executed in 1979 following a controversial trial.

Early life and education

Born into a wealthy Sindhi landlord family in Larkana, he was the son of Shah Nawaz Bhutto, a prominent political figure in the Bombay Presidency. He received his early education at Cathedral and John Connon School in Bombay before studying political science at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was influenced by socialist thought. He then pursued a degree in jurisprudence at Christ Church, Oxford, and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in London, establishing a successful legal career before entering politics.

His political career began under the mentorship of Iskander Mirza and later Ayub Khan, serving as the youngest member of Pakistan's delegation to the United Nations in 1957. He held several cabinet positions, including Minister of Commerce and Minister of Foreign Affairs, where he gained prominence for his role in negotiating the Sino-Pakistan Agreement of 1963. Disillusioned with the Ayub regime, he founded the Pakistan Peoples Party in 1967, championing the slogan "Roti, Kapra, Makan" (Bread, Clothing, Shelter) to mobilize mass support.

Assuming power in the aftermath of the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he first served as President and Chief Martial Law Administrator. As Prime Minister after the 1973 Constitution, his tenure saw the nationalization of key industries, banks, and educational institutions, and the passage of labor-friendly reforms like the Labour Policy of 1972. His government also convened the Islamic Summit Conference of 1974 in Lahore and faced significant unrest, including the insurgency in Balochistan and the Hyderabad tribunal case.

A key architect of Pakistan's foreign policy, he pursued a multipolar approach, strengthening ties with the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union while maintaining a complex relationship with the United States. He hosted the Second Islamic Summit Conference and was a founding father of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. His most significant strategic decision was authorizing the development of nuclear weapons in response to India's nuclear test in 1974, a project led by Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Following the 1977 Pakistani coup d'état by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, he was imprisoned. He was tried in the highly publicized Lahore High Court case for the alleged murder of a political opponent, Ahmed Raza Kasuri. Despite international appeals for clemency from figures like Pope John Paul II and Jimmy Carter, the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the death sentence in a split decision. He was executed by hanging on 4 April 1979 at Rawalpindi Central Jail.

His legacy remains deeply polarized; he is revered by many as a populist champion of democracy and Pakistani sovereignty, and vilified by others for his suppression of political opponents in Balochistan and Sindh. The Pakistan Peoples Party, led by his daughter Benazir Bhutto, has formed multiple governments. Major institutions like the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology and policies such as the Simla Agreement are part of his enduring impact on South Asian politics.