Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
"My
country hearkens for me, why should I waste my time here in the Security
Council?" (United Nations, New York City, December 15, 1971)
Zulfiqar
Ali Bhutto was born on January 5, 1928. He was the only son of Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto completed his early education from Bombay's Cathedral High
School. In 1947, he joined the University of Southern California, and later the
University of California at Berkeley in June 1949. After completing his degree
with honors in Political Science at Berkeley in June 1950, he was admitted to
Oxford.
Zulfiqar
Ali Bhutto married Nusrat Isphahani on September 8, 1951. He was called to Bar
at Lincoln's Inn in 1953, and the same year his first child, Benazir Bhutto,
was born on June 21. On his return to Pakistan, Bhutto started practicing Law
at Dingomal's.
In
1958, he joined President Iskander Mirza's Cabinet as Commerce Minister. He was
the youngest Minister in Ayub Khans Cabinet. In 1963, he took over the post of
Foreign Minister from Muhammad Ali Bogra.
His
first major achievement was to conclude the Sino-Pakistan boundary agreement on
March 2, 1963. In mid 1964, Bhutto helped convince Ayub of the wisdom of
establishing closer economic and diplomatic links with Turkey and Iran. The
trio later on formed the R. C. D. In June 1966, Bhutto left Ayub's Cabinet over
differences concerning the Tashkent Agreement.
Zulfiqar
Ali Bhutto launched Pakistan Peoples Party after leaving Ayub's Cabinet. In the
general elections held in December 1970, P. P. P. won a large majority in West
Pakistan but failed to reach an agreement with Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman, the
majority winner from East Pakistan. Following the 1971 War and the separation
of East Pakistan, Yahya Khan resigned and Bhutto took over as President and
Chief Martial Law Administrator on December 20, 1971.
After
Pakistan parliamentary elections gave an East Pakistani separatist party an
overall majority in December of 1970, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the elected leader
of West Pakistan, refused demands for greater autonomy in the east. In March of
1971, East Pakistan's leaders proclaimed the independent state of Bangladesh
and West Pakistani forces were called in to suppress the revolt. In the ensuing
civil war, an estimated one million Bengalis the largest ethnic group in
Bangladesh were killed by the West Pakistani troops, while over ten million
more took refuge in India. On December 3, 1971, India, which had provided
substantial clandestine aid to the Bangladesh independence movement, launched a
massive offensive against West Pakistan. Bhutto traveled to New York City to
plead West Pakistan's case before the United Nations, but left in disgust when
the Security Council supported Bangladesh's independence and called for a
cease-fire. On December 17, 1971, 90,000 West Pakistani troops surrendered to
Indian forces in Bangladesh and the war came to an end. Bhutto subsequently
became prime minister of Pakistan, and in February of 1974, he formally
recognized the independence of Bangladesh.
In
early 1972, Bhutto nationalized ten categories of major industries, and
withdrew Pakistan from the Commonwealth of Nations and S. E. A. T. O. when
Britain and other western countries recognized the new state of Bangladesh. On
March 1, he introduced land reforms, and on July 2, 1972, signed the Simla
Agreement with India, which paved the way for the return of occupied lands and
the release of Pakistani prisoners captured in East Pakistan in the 1971 war.
After
the National Assembly passed the 1973 Constitution, Bhutto was sworn-in as the
Prime Minister of the country.
On
December 30, 1973, Bhutto laid the foundation of Pakistan's first steel mill at
Pipri, near Karachi. On January 1, 1974, Bhutto nationalized all banks. On
February 22, 1974, the second Islamic Summit was inaugurated in Lahore. Heads
of States of most of the 38 Islamic countries attended the Summit.
Following
a political crisis in the country, Bhutto was imprisoned by General Zia-ul-Haq,
who imposed Martial Law on July 5, 1977.
On
April 4, 1979, the former Prime Minister was hanged, after the Supreme Court
upheld the death sentence passed by the Lahore High Court. The High Court had given him
the death sentence on charges of murder of the father of a dissident P. P. P.
politician.
Zulfiqar
Ali Bhutto was buried in his ancestral village at Garhi Khuda Baksh, next to
his father's grave.
Bhutto,
Zulfikar Ali (1928-1979), president and prime minister of Pakistan from 1971 to
1977. Bhutto was a charismatic leader who charted a foreign policy of
nonaligned neutrality for Pakistan in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ousted from
power in a military coup and subsequently convicted of murder and executed.
Bhutto
was born near Larkana, in Sind Province (then part of British India; part of
Pakistan since 1947). He was descended from a long-established family of Muslim
landlords and politicians. His father, Shah Nawaz Bhutto, became a major figure
in Indian colonial politics, receiving knighthood for his work with the British
government on issues of Indian self-rule.
Bhutto
grew up in Bombay (now Mumbai), receiving his secondary education at the elite
Doon School. At age 13 he was married to his cousin, an heiress. As a student,
Bhutto met Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the future founding father
of Pakistan, and participated in the movement to partition India in order to
create Pakistan as an independent state for Indian Muslims.
Bhutto
attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles from 1947 to 1949
and received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California at
Berkeley in 1950. He then studied law at the University of Oxford, in England,
earning a master of arts degree in 1953. In 1951, while still a student, Bhutto
married Begum Nusrat Ispahani of Karachi, with whom he had four children. (Bhutto
had had no children with his first wife.) After finishing his studies, Bhutto
returned to Pakistan, which had won its independence in 1947, and set up a
successful legal practice in Karachi.
Bhutto
had his first major political experience as a member of a delegation to the
United Nations (UN), where he addressed the General Assembly in 1957 on
India-Pakistan relations. He also chaired the Pakistan delegation to the first
UN Conference on the Law of the Sea, held in Geneva, Switzerland, in March
1958.
In
October 1958 General Muhammad Ayub Khan, commander in chief of Pakistan’s armed
forces, took control of Pakistan’s government, imposing martial law and
declaring himself president. Bhutto assumed positions of increasing
responsibility in Ayub Khan’s government, culminating in his appointment as
foreign minister in 1963. Bhutto restructured Pakistan’s political commitments
to rely less heavily on the West and instead achieve a nonaligned neutrality
(see Nonaligned Movement). As part of this policy, he forged closer ties with
China. Bhutto pursued a strident anti-India campaign over the disputed
territory of Kashmir, encouraging Ayub Khan to invade the region (see Jammu and
Kashmir). A 1965 war with India over Kashmir ended with no gains for Pakistan
and humiliated Ayub Khan's government. Nevertheless, Bhutto did not moderate
his anti-India stance, even after Ayub Khan signed a peace agreement with India
in January 1966. Bhutto’s fiery speeches made him a well-known and popular
figure throughout Pakistan. However, his growing political presence and his
critical stance toward the government made his position in Ayub Khan’s
administration untenable. In 1966 he resigned from his cabinet post.
From
his new position outside the government, Bhutto began to publicly attack
Pakistan’s military for mishandling the war. He also criticized the presence of
continued restrictions on democratic institutions in Ayub Khan’s government. In
1967 Bhutto formed the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to oppose Ayub Khan’s
regime. He adopted a uniform similar to those worn by China’s Communist Party
leaders and called for the introduction of "Islamic socialism" in
Pakistan and the commencement of a "thousand year war" against India.
Using the title "Leader of the People," Bhutto launched a nationwide
tour, agitating against the military dictatorship. He was arrested in
connection with these activities in November 1968 and detained for three
months. The movement he helped unleash in West Pakistan (coextensive with the
country’s current boundaries), in conjunction with agitation for greater
autonomy taking place in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), forced the resignation
of Ayub Khan in March 1969.
Ayub
Khan handed power over to the army commander in chief, Agha Muhammad Yahya
Khan, who assumed the presidency and reimposed martial law. The issue of an
autonomous East Pakistan continued to plague Yahya’s administration. In
elections held in 1970, the pro-autonomy Awami League won by a landslide in
East Pakistan, capturing enough parliamentary seats to control any government
that might be formed. Bhutto’s PPP captured the majority of seats in West
Pakistan. When Yahya and the PPP delayed the transfer of power to the newly
elected representatives in March 1971, public unrest erupted in East Pakistan.
East Pakistani leaders demanded the establishment of an independent nation of
Bangladesh, and the Pakistani army cracked down brutally on civilians as well
as on armed revolutionaries in East Pakistan. When India intervened in the
civil war in December, the Pakistani army was swiftly defeated, and East
Pakistan emerged as the state of Bangladesh. Yahya Khan resigned, and Bhutto
was inaugurated as president and chief martial law administrator on December 20,
1971.
In
office, Bhutto introduced socialist economic reforms while working to prevent
any further division of the country. He nationalized Pakistan’s major
industries, life insurance companies, and private schools and colleges.
Although still a major landholder, dubbed by his opponents the "Raja of
Larkana," Bhutto enacted tax relief for the country’s poorest agricultural
workers and placed ceilings on land ownership. He countered secessionist
movements in all of Pakistan's provinces, lifted martial law in 1972, and
pushed through a new constitution in 1973 that recognized Islam as the national
religion. Under the parliamentary system established by the new constitution,
Bhutto became prime minister. Bhutto’s support for democratic processes was
uneven. A popular leader, he engaged in meet-the-people tours that attracted
huge crowds. However, he also repressed all disagreement by opposition parties
in Pakistan’s National Assembly.
On
the international front, Bhutto resumed implementation of his policy of
nonaligned neutrality. He withdrew Pakistan from the British Commonwealth of
Nations and from the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), sponsored by
the United States. In July 1972 he negotiated the Simla Agreement, which
confirmed a line of control dividing Kashmir and prompted the withdrawal of
Indian troops from Pakistani territory. To forge closer ties with the Islamic
world, in 1974 Bhutto hosted the second meeting of the Organization of Islamic
States in the city of Lahore. He used this forum to announce Pakistan’s
official recognition of Bangladesh. To bolster Pakistan’s military defense
capabilities, Bhutto laid the groundwork for a nuclear weapons program.
During
elections held in March 1977, nine opposition parties, united as the Pakistan National
Alliance (PNA), ran a popular campaign against Bhutto’s PPP. When the PPP won a
decisive victory in the parliamentary round of the elections, the PNA accused
Bhutto’s party of rigging the vote and withdrew in protest from upcoming
provincial elections. Widespread street fighting broke out, and opposition
politicians were arrested.
On
July 5 the military, led by General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq, staged a coup. Zia
relieved Bhutto of power, holding him in detention for a month. Upon his
release, Bhutto traveled the country amid adulatory crowds of PPP supporters.
In September the army arrested Bhutto again on charges of authorizing the
murder of a political opponent in 1974. Bhutto insisted that the allegations
were false, but the high court in Lahore, packed with Zia's supporters,
convicted Bhutto and imposed the death sentence. The Supreme Court approved the
judgment by a 4-3 vote, and despite international protests, Bhutto was hanged
in April 1979.
The
Pakistani population was divided in its opinion of Bhutto. While a significant
segment of the population viewed him as a demagogue who deserved his fate, the
majority of the population supported Bhutto’s populist and nationalist programs
and viewed him as a martyr for democracy. After Zia died in an airplane crash
in 1988, elections brought the PPP back to power, led by Bhutto's daughter,
Benazir Bhutto.
Bhutto's
published works include The Myth of Independence (1969), The Great Tragedy
(1971), Bilateralism: New Directions (1976), and If I Am Assassinated (1979).
Among the collections of his speeches are Foreign Policy of Pakistan (1964),
The Quest for Peace (1966), and Marching Towards Democracy (1972).
Bhutto's Death (Hanged / Killed )
Gruesome
details of Bhutto’s last hours circulated amongst the public. On 5 April 2009
Dawn carried the following description on its front page:
‘[Bhutto]
was then told that his cell was about a furlong and half from the gallows, a
distance which may be difficult for him to walk, and he should, therefore, lie
down in a waiting stretcher to be carried by the jail warders. He protested and
said that he would like to walk the distance himself. But he was made to lie
down on the stretcher and carried to the gallows by the warder
Before
being taken to the gallows he had a ‘tasbih’ in his hand and was turning its
beads and reciting something quietly. The ‘tasbih’ had not been seen with him
before. It was either hidden in his luggage or handed over to him by Begum Nusrat
Bhutto yesterday…. He did not misbehave or talked loudly till the end. He
placed his tasbih round his neck when his hands were tied at his back….
Mr
Bhutto was handed over to the hangman who tied his legs with a cord, placed the
traditional veil on his face and fixed the hanging cord round his neck. His
body remained hanging for half an hour.’
