Al-Zulfikar

al-Zulfikar
الذُوالفِقار
Founder	Murtaza Bhutto
Foundation	1979; 45 years ago (1979)
Dissolved	1988; 36 years ago (1988)
Country	Pakistan
Headquarters	Kabul, Afghanistan
Part of	Pakistan People's Party
Allies	Democratic Republic of Afghanistan KhAD Soviet Union Syria
Opponents	Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq

al-Zulfikar was a far-left terrorist faction formed in 1979 by Pakistani politician Murtaza Bhutto. Named after his father and former Pakistani prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the group opposed the government of military dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who had deposed Zulfikar in 1977 and installed himself as the president of Pakistan.

Al-Zulfiqar was formed to avenge Bhutto's killing by means of armed struggle against Zia-ul-Haq. Zia had deposed the Bhutto regime after mass protests across Pakistan that were related to the dissatisfaction of the masses with the rule of Bhutto (mismanagement of East Pakistan, alleged links of Bhutto to political murders, corruption, economic stagnation as a result of nationalization, deteriorating education system, etc.) in a Military coup in July 1977.

Bhutto was hanged by the Zia regime.^[1][2][3] Bhutto's two sons, Murtaza Bhutto and Shahnawaz Bhutto went into exile in Afghanistan which was then being ruled by a Soviet-backed communist government. There the two sons formed the Al-Zulfiqar along with hundreds of Pakistan Peoples Party militants who had escaped Zia's persecution.