PERSONAL DETAILS 
Name: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Date of Birth: January 5,
1928
Place of Birth: Larkana
District
Father's Name: Sir Shahnawaz
Khan Bhutto
Mother's Name: Lady
Khursheed Begum
Mother Tongue: Sindhi
MARRIAGE: - Married at
Karachi to Ms Nusrat Ispahani 8th September, 1951.
CHILDREN:
- Benazir Bhutto - 1953
- 2007
- Murtaza Bhutto - 1954 -
1996
- Sanam Bhutto - 1957
- Shahnawaz Bhutto - 1958 -
1985
EDUCATION:
-Cathedral School, Bombay -
1937 - 1947
-Joined University of
Southern California - 1947
-Transferred to Berkely
Campus of USC - 1949
-First Asian to be elected
to Berkely Student Council
-Graduated with Honours in
Political Science - 1950
-Admitted to Christ Church
College, Oxford - 1950
-Graduated with Honours from
Oxford University - 1952
-Called to the Bar at
Lincoln's Inn - 1953
-Lecturer of Sindh Muslim
Law College - 1954
-Member of Pakistan
Delegation to the United Nations - 1957
-Addressed the United
Nations Sixth Committee on Aggression 25th
October - 1957
-Leader of Pakistan
Delegation to United Nations Conference on
the Law of the Seas, addressed
the Conference on the Freedom of the Seas. March - 1958.
MINISTERIAL CAREER:
-Minister of Commerce - 1958
-Minister for Information
and National Reconstruction - 1959
-Minister for Fuel, Power
and Natural Resources - 1960
-Leader of Pakistan
Delegation to the United Nations - 1959,
1960, 1963 and 1965
-Statement in support of
Algeria against French Imperialism at
U.N. - 1959.
-Leader of Pakistan
Delegation to Moscow to negotiate
agreement on Oil and Gas
Exploration with Soviet Union with 120 Million
Roubles credit - 1960
-Led Pakistan's
Delegation to U.N. and differed with U.S. by
not voting against China's
Membership - 1960
-Foreign Minister of
Pakistan - 1963 - 1965
Sino-Pakistan Boundary
Agreement, gaining 750 Square Miles for
Pakistan 2nd March - 1963
-Famous Speech at the
U.N. Security Council "We will wage a
war for a thousand years" -
22-23 September, '65
-Resigned from the
Federal Cabinet - June, 1966
PAKISTAN PEOPLES
PARTY (PPP)
-Historic welcome in
Lahore after resignation as Foreign
Minister - 21st June, 1966
-Manifesto of Pakistan
Peoples Party prepared
"Islam is our Faith,
Democracy is our Policy, Socialism is
our Economy, All Power to
the People". October, 1967
Foundation of Pakistan
Peoples Party, Lahore - 30th November, 1967
Led Mass Movement for
Restoration of Democracy - 1968
Arrested for creating
disaffection against Government - 12th
November, 1968
Landslide victory for PPP
in 1970 elections.
PRESIDENT/PRIME
MINISTER:
Economic Reforms Order
Nationalisation of Key Industries - 3rd
January, 1972
Announcement of Labour
Policies - 10th February, 1972
Land Reforms - 1st March,
1973
Ceiling reduced from 500
Acres to 150 Acres of irrigated land
and 1000 Acres to 300 Acres
for semi-irrigated land. All lands in excess
of 100 Acres allocated to
Govt. Servants confiscated and redistributed.
The Law Reform Ordinance -
giving effect to the
recommendations of the Law
Reforms Commission. - 14th April, 1972
Martial Law Lifted 21st
April, 1972
Simla Agreement Signed
Pakistan to get back 5000
square miles of territory occupied
in 1971 war. India and
Pakistan to respect line of control in Kashmir
without prejudice to
Pakistan's claim. - 2nd July, 1972
National Book Foundation
established - 24th September, 1972
Inaugurated Pakistan's
first Nuclear Power Plant at Karachi.
- 28th November, 1972
Establishment of NDFC -
5th February, 1973
Establishment of
Quaid-E-Azam University - 9th February, 1973
Constitution of Pakistan
passed unanimously - 12th April, 1973
Establishment of Port Qasim
Authority - 27th June, 1973
Elected Prime Minister of
Pakistan - 14th August, 1973
Identity Cards for Citizens
- 28th July, 1973
Agreement for repatriation
of 93,000 POWs - 28th August, 1973
Administrative Reforms Order
- September, 1973
Laid Foundation Stone of
Pakistan Steel Mill - 30th December, 1973
Nationalisation of Banks -
1st January, 1974
Establishment of Allama
Iqbal Open University - 21st May, 1974
Islamic Summit at Lahore -
22nd February, 1975
Inaugurated Pakistan's First
Seerat Conference - 3rd March, 1976
Kissinger warned Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto that if Pakistan
continued with its nuclear
programme
"the Prime Minister would
have to pay a heavy price." -
August, 1976
Bhutto proposed a Third
World Summit - September, 1976
BETRAYAL AND
ASSASSINATION:
General Elections were
held on March 7, 1977. PPP emerged as the
victorious Party. At the
behest of General Ziaul Haq, PNA accused
government of so-called
rigging in the elections. Negotiations with PNA
resumed. An Agreement was
reached on June 8, 1977 for holding Fresh
Elections on October 8,
1977.
On July 5, 1977 COAS
General Ziaul Haq imposed Martial Law unilaterally.
The National Assembly, the
Senate and Provincial Assemblies were
dissolved and Constitution
held in abeyance.
Zia's Military Junta
established a dummy government of PNA with CMLA as
President. Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto arrested on July, 5, 1977 and released on
July 28, 1977.
Re-arrested on September
3, 1977 from Clifton, Karachi, on the charges
of a fabricated murder
case; again released on September 13, 1977
against Lahore High Court
bail. Re-arrested at Larkana on September 17,
1977.
In September, 1977 the
Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Justice Yakub Ali
Khan was suspended from
service because he had admitted Mrs. Nusrat
Bhuto's Petition challenging
imposition of martial law.
On October 9, 1977,
Maulvi Mushtaq, Chief Justice, Lahore High Court,
cancelled the bail already
granted to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by LHC.
Mercilessly and
despicably murdered on April 4, 1979.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
as 'Author'
List of Publication
Peace-Keeping by the
United Nations. Pakistan Publishing House, Karachi.
- 1967
Political Situation in
Pakistan, Veshasher Prakashan, New Dehli. - 1968
The Myth of Independence,
Oxford University Press, Karachi and Lahore. -
1969
The Great Tragedy,
Pakistan People's Party, Karachi. - 1971
Politics of the People
(speeches, statements and articles), edited by
Hamid Jalal and Khalid
Hasan: Pakistan Publications, Rawalpindi. -
1948-1971
Speeches and Statements,
Government of Pakistan, Karachi. - 1971-1975
Bilateralism: New
Directions. Government of Pakistan, Islamabad. - 1976
The Third World: New
Directions. Quartet Books, London. - 1977
My Pakistan. Biswin Sadi
Publications, New Dehli. - 1979
If I am Assasinated,
Vikas, New Dehli. - 1979
My Execution. Musawaat
Weekly International, London - 1980
New Directions. Narmara
Publishers, London. - 1980
THE LEGACY OF ZULFIKAR
ALI BHUTTO:
As a member of Pakistan's
delegation to the United Nation in 1957, at
the age of 29 years,
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto addressed the Sixth Conference
of the United Nations on
"The Definition of Aggression", a speech which
is still regarded as one of
the best on the subject. As a participant at
the International
Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in March, 1958
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto spoke
for mankind with the bold declaration: "The
High Seas are free to all."
He was the youngest Federal Cabinet member
in the history of Pakistan,
at the age of 30. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto held
the key portfolios of
Minister of Commerce, Minister of Information,
Minister of National
Reconstruction, Minister of Fuel, Power and Natural
Resources before becoming
the Foreign Minister. As Minister of Fuel,
Power and Natural
Resources, he signed a path breaking agreement for
exploration of oil and gas
with Russia in 1960. He set up a Gas and
Mineral Development
Corporation in 1961 and Pakistan's first refinery in
1962 at Karachi.
Bhutto emerged on the
world stage as Leader of the Pakistan Delegation
to the U.N. in 1959. To
muster the support for Kashmir issue he
successfully toured China,
Britain, Egypt and Ireland. He also held a
series of talks with the
Indian Foreign Minister Swaran Singh. He was
appointed Foreign Minister
in 1963 and remained at that post until his
resignation in June 1966.
Bhutto made indelible imprints on world
community by his inimitable
oratorical skills in United Nation's General
Assembly and the Security
Council. He had the vision to build a
strategic relationship with
China at a time when it was isolated.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto believed
in an independent Foreign Policy which had
hitherto been the hand
maiden of the Western Powers. During his tenure
as Foreign Minister,
Pakistan and Iran cemented a special relationship.
His opposition to the
Tashkent accord between India and Pakistan led to
his resignation from the
government. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto believed in a
Foreign Policy of
bilateralism in which no state would be entitled to
interfere in Pakistan's
relations with other states.
During his student
days, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had acquired an
anti-Imperialist view of the
world. He was a firm believer in economic
self reliance and political
independence themes he expounded in his
famous book "Myth of
Independence". Bhutto's finest hour came in the
reconstruction of Pakistan
after the traumatic dismemberment of Pakistan
upon the fall of Dhaka on
16th December, 1971. He successfully put the
derailed nation back on the
track by rebuilding national institutions.
His lasting achievement was
the unanimous adoption of the Constitution
in 1973. He established
the Pakistan Steel Mills, Heavy Mechanical
Complex Taxila, Port Qasim
Authority, Quaid-E-Azam University, Allama
Iqbal Open University,
Karachi Nuclear Power Plant; thus, fortifying the
prosperity, integrity and
security of Pakistan. Using his experience as
Foreign Minister, Bhutto
cemented Pakistan's relation with Afro-Asian
and Islamic countries and by
1976 had emerged as the Leader of the Third
World. As an author, he
brilliantly advocated the cause of hewers of
wood and drawers of water of
the Third World.
Bhutto was the founder of
Pakistan's Nuclear Program. Under his guidance
and leadership as Minister
for Fuel, Power and Natural Resources,
President and Prime
Minister, Pakistan developed into the unique Muslim
State with a nuclear
capability for which he paid with his life. In his
book "If I am Assassinated"
written from the Death Cell, Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto revealed how
Kissinger had said "We will make an example of you".
The Pakistan People's
Party won the elections held in 1977 with a large
majority; but the
conspirators soon joined hands with Ziaul Haq at the
behest of foreign powers
who feared Bhutto's capacity of uniting the
Third World countries and
sought to punish him for developing Pakistan's
nuclear capacity, and
imposed Martial Law upon the country on 5th July,
1977. Soon afterwards,
Bhutto was arrested and on 18th March, 1978, was
sentenced to death in a
politically motivated murder trial. The majority
of original Court was for
acquittal but was whittled down to a 4-3
verdict by the retirement
of two judges. Despite appeals of clemency
from several world leaders,
Bhutto was executed on 4th April, 1979. The
great leader of downtrodden
masses and a visionary of unparalleled
charisma will forever be
remembered by his countrymen as Quaid-e-Awam
(Leader of the Masses).
RESUME
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has
earned a place in the pantheon of leaders from
the Third World who earned
everlasting fame in the struggle against
colonialism and imperialism.
He had the privilege of interacting with
many of those leaders who
played a great role in the epic struggle for
national independence in the
20th Century including Mao Tse Tung, Ahmed
Soekarno, Chou-en Lai,
Jawaharlal Nehru Jamal Abdel Nasser and Salvador
Allende. During the period
between the end of the Second World War and
the end of the Cold War, the
world was divided into two blocks: The
Capitalist West and the
Socialist East. All these leaders aspired to
aspects of a socialist
pattern of economy. Bhutto shared their faith in
a leading role for the
public sector as an instrument of self-reliance.
President of Allende of
Chile and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan
pursued socialist democratic
policies in countries long dominated by the
military, and thus, were
overthrown in the same year - 1977 by the
collaborators of the
Neo-Imperialists, killed at the behest of the
Military Juntas of Pinochet
and Zia and followed by long spells of
repressive Military regimes
which did not retreat until the Cold War
drew to an end.
The key factor in the
over throw of Bhutto was Pakistan's nuclear
capability. The Karachi
Nuclear Power Plant was inaugurated by Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto as President of
Pakistan at the end of 1972 but long before,
as Minister for Fuel, Power
and National Resources, he has played a key
role in setting up of the
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. The Kahuta
facility was also
established by Bhutto.
Bhutto's foundation of
the PPP was a setback for the reactionary forces
in a country long dominated
by the Right. The slogan of "Food, Shelter
and Clothing" shifted the
focus of Pakistan politics from theological to
economic issues. This focus
has never shifted back. Bhutto nationalised
the commanding heights of
the economy; another blow to the capitalist
West. During his tenure
there was a massive transfer of resources
towards the dominant rural
economy by setting higher prices for
agricultural products.
The Constitution of 1973,
passed unanimously, is yet another lasting
legacy of Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto. Time has shown that it cannot be
replaced. Constitution
making in Pakistan was bedevilled, since the
birth of the State, by three
unresolved issues: (i) The role of Islam in
the State, (ii) the degree
of Provincial Autonomy, and (iii) the Nature
of Executive. Bhutto
managed to bring all the political parties,
including those like the
Jamat-e-Islami, JUI and JUP, who demanded an
Islamic State, and the Awami
National Party, which was the major party
in the Frontier and
Balochistan, calling for maximum provincial
autonomy, to agree to a
consensus on the Constitution, thus, permanently
resolving all the three
issues. A new institution, the Senate of
Pakistan was, created in
which the provinces had equal representation,
in order to redress the
balance of power in Pakistan, probably the only
country in the world where
one federating unit has an absolute majority.
The creation of Council of
Common Interest also gave to the provinces a
greater weight in the
federal dispensation. Islam was declared to be the
State religion and the
Council of Islamic Ideology given charge of
Islamisation of laws. At the
same time the Constitution reiterated the
basic principle of
socialism: "from each according to his ability to
each according to his work".
The never ending tussle
between the Head of State and Parliament was
resolved by empowering the
Prime Minister. Ironically, it is opponents
of Bhutto who have, through
13th Amendment of 1997, restored the role of
the Prime Minister as was
envisaged in the original Constitution of 1973
after General Zia had
shifted power to dissolve the Assembly and make
key civilian and military
appointments to the President No better
tribute can be paid to the
foresight and sagacity of the martyred
leader.
Finally, Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto had the courage of his conviction to decide
to lay down his life rather
than compromise or seek appeasement. The
last chapter of his life is
a glorious example of martyrdom for the
cause of resurrection of
democracy.
At the time of his over
throw, Bhutto was emerging as a spokesman of the
World of Islam and the
leader of the Third World. The age of Bhutto was
an Age of Revolution.
Although his life and career were cruelly
terminated, Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto will forever shine in history as one of
the Great leaders who took
part in the liberation of the Third World
from the yoke of Imperialism
and Neo Colonialism during the Twentieth
Century. |