Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
ذُوالفِقار علی بُھٹّو
	Official portrait, c. 1971
9th Prime Minister of Pakistan
	In office; 14 August 1973 – 5 July 1977
President	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
Preceded by	Himself (as President); Nurul Amin
Succeeded by	Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (as Chief Martial Law Administrator); Muhammad Khan Junejo
4th President of Pakistan; Chief Martial Law Administrator
	In office; 20 December 1971 – 14 August 1973
Vice President	Nurul Amin
Preceded by	Yahya Khan
Succeeded by	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
1st Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan
	In office; 7 December 1971 – 20 December 1971
Prime Minister	Nurul Amin
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Nusrat Bhutto
7th Speaker of the National Assembly
	In office; 14 April 1972 – 15 August 1972
Deputy	Muhammad Hanif Khan
Preceded by	Abdul Jabbar Khan
Succeeded by	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
8th and 12th Minister of Foreign Affairs
	In office; 15 June 1963 – 31 August 1966
Preceded by	Muhammad Ali Bogra
Succeeded by	Sharifuddin Pirzada
	In office; 20 December 1971 – 28 March 1977
President	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
Preceded by	Yahya Khan
Succeeded by	Aziz Ahmed
Minister of Commerce
	In office; 28 October 1958 – 16 January 1960
Preceded by	Abdur Rashid Khan
Succeeded by	Md. Hafizur Rahman
Personal details
Born	5 January 1928; Ratodero Taluka, Sind, Bombay Presidency, British India; (present-day Ratodero Tehsil, Sindh, Pakistan)
Died	4 April 1979 (aged 51); Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Cause of death	Execution by hanging
Resting place	Bhutto family mausoleum
Nationality	British Indian; (1928–1947); Pakistani; (1947–1979)
Political party	Pakistan People's Party
Other political; affiliations	Convention Muslim League ; (before 1967)
Spouse(s)	Shireen Amir Begum (m. 1943, separated); Nusrat Ispahani (m. 1951); Husna Sheikh (before 1979)
Children	Benazir Bhutto; Murtaza Bhutto; Sanam Bhutto; Shahnawaz Bhutto
Parents	Shah Nawaz Bhutto (father); Khursheed Begum (mother);
Relatives	See Bhutto family
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley; Christ Church, Oxford ; Lincoln's Inn
Profession	Lawyer, politician
Nickname	Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader")

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto^[a] (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister, politician, and statesman. He served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth prime minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977. Bhutto founded the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and served as its chairman until his execution.

Born in Sindh as a shia muslim and educated at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Oxford, Bhutto trained as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn before entering politics. Initially, he was a cabinet member during president Iskandar Ali Mirza's tenure, holding various ministries during president Muhammad Ayub Khan's military rule from 1958. Bhutto became the Foreign Minister in 1963, advocating for Operation Gibraltar in Kashmir, leading to the 1965 war with India. Following the Tashkent Declaration, he was dismissed from the government. Bhutto established the PPP in 1967, focusing on an Islamic socialist agenda, and contested the 1970 general election. The Awami League and PPP were unable to agree on power transfer, leading to civil unrest and the creation of Bangladesh. After Pakistan's loss in the 1971 war against Bangladesh, Bhutto assumed the presidency in December 1971, imposing emergency rule.

During his presidency, Bhutto secured the release of 93,000 prisoners of war and reclaimed five thousand square miles (13,000 km²) of Indian-held territory through the Simla Agreement. He strengthened diplomatic ties with China and Saudi Arabia, recognized Bangladesh, and hosted the second Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Lahore in 1974. Bhutto's government drafted the current constitution of Pakistan in 1973, after which he transitioned to the prime minister's office. He played a crucial role in initiating the country's nuclear program. However, his policies, including extensive nationalisation, led to economic stagnation.

Despite winning the 1977 parliamentary elections, Bhutto faced allegations of widespread vote rigging, sparking violence across the country. On 5 July 1977, Bhutto was deposed in a military coup by army chief Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Controversially tried and executed in 1979, Bhutto's legacy remains contentious, praised for nationalism and a secular internationalist agenda, yet criticized for political repression, economic challenges, and human rights abuses. He is often considered one of Pakistan's greatest leaders. His party, the PPP, continues to be a significant political force in Pakistan, with his daughter Benazir Bhutto serving twice as Prime Minister, and his son-in-law, Asif Ali Zardari, becoming president.

^ "The multipurpose Muslim League". Dawn. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
^ Chitkara, M.G. (1996). Benazir – a profile. New Delhi: APH Publ. Corp. p. 69. ISBN 978-8170247524.

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[1] "The multipurpose Muslim League". Dawn. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2021.

[Benazir_–_a_profile-2] Chitkara, M.G. (1996). Benazir – a profile. New Delhi: APH Publ. Corp. p. 69. ISBN 978-8170247524.

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