Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973, and later as the ninth prime minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977. He was the founder of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and served as its chairman until his execution.
Born in Sindh 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 as one of president Iskandar Ali Mirza's cabinet members, and was assigned several ministries during president Muhammad Ayub Khan's military rule from 1958. Appointed Foreign Minister in 1963, Bhutto was a proponent of Operation Gibraltar in Kashmir, leading to war with India in 1965. After the Tashkent Declaration ended hostilities, he fell out with Khan and was sacked from government. Bhutto founded the PPP in 1967 on an Islamic socialist platform, and contested the general election held by president Yahya Khan in 1970. The Awami League won an absolute majority overall, though the PPP won a majority of seats in West Pakistan (where the Awami League won no seats); the two parties were unable to agree on the power transfer and a new constitution. In particular, the Awami League's Six Point Movement was seen by many in West Pakistan, including Bhutto and president Yahya Khan, as a way to break up the country. The refusal of Bhutto and Yahya to accept a Bengali as the Prime Minister of Pakistan led to uprisings in East Pakistan, and the counter-steps taken by the Army ordered by Yahya Khan and supported by Bhutto ultimately led to the creation of Bangladesh. In the wake of Pakistan losing the war against Bangladesh-allied India in December 1971, Bhutto took the presidency in December 1971 and emergency rule was imposed. He led the country after Bangladesh's secession and end of thirteen years of military rule.
As president, Bhutto recovered 93,000 prisoners of war and of Indian-held territory after signing the Simla Agreement. He strengthened ties with China and Saudi Arabia, recognized Bangladesh, and hosted the second Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Lahore in 1974. His government drafted the current constitution of Pakistan, in 1973, upon which he appointed Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry president and switched to the newly empowered office of prime minister. Bhutto played an integral role in initiating the country's nuclear programme. However, Bhutto's nationalisation of much of Pakistan's fledgling industries, healthcare, and educational institutions was met with economic stagnation. After dissolving provincial feudal governments in Balochistan was met with unrest, Bhutto also ordered an army operation in the province in 1973, causing thousands of civilian casualties. Despite civil disorder, the People's Party won the 1977 parliamentary elections by a wide margin. However, the opposition alleged widespread vote rigging, and violence escalated across the country. On 5 July that same year, Bhutto was deposed in a military coup by his appointed army chief Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, before being controversially tried and executed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1979 for authorising the murder of a political opponent, Muhammad Ahmad Kasuri.
Bhutto's legacy remains contentious; he is hailed by supporters for his nationalism and secular internationalist agenda. He is denounced by critics for political repression, impoverished economy, and human rights abuses in Balochistan. Bhutto is often considered one of Pakistan's greatest leaders, and his party, the PPP, remains among Pakistan's largest, with his daughter Benazir Bhutto being twice elected Prime Minister, while his son-in-law and Benazir's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, served as president.
Early life
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto belonged to a Sindhi Bhutto family, he was born to Shah Nawaz Bhutto and Khursheed Begum near Larkana. Khursheed Begum was born Lakhi Bai into a Hindu Rajput family of Kutchi background but converted to Islam when she married Shah Nawaz. Zulfikar was their third child—their first one, Sikandar Ali, had died from pneumonia at age seven in 1914, and the second, Imdad Ali, died of cirrhosis at age 39 in 1953. His father was the dewan of the princely state of Junagadh, and enjoyed an influential relationship with the officials of the British Raj. As a young boy, Bhutto moved to Worli Seaface in Bombay to study at the Cathedral and John Connon School, later St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. He then also became an activist in the Pakistan Movement. In 1943, his marriage was arranged with Shireen Amir Begum. In 1947, Bhutto was admitted to the University of Southern California to study political science.