Zulfikar ali bhutto biography summary

Pioneering Islamic socialism in Pakistan, he undertook land redistribution and other socialist policies. Bhutto also ordered the Pakistan Army to suppress the insurgency in Balochistan and suppressed a military coup attempt in However, Bhutto became increasingly unpopular over allegations of corruption and suppression of political opponents.

The boycott of the elections by opposition parties created a political crisis that ended when Bhutto was deposed by the army chief Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Despite a controversial trial and protests, he was executed. In , he was subsequently promoted to minister of the Commerce Ministry, and Ministry of Information and Industry Ministry.

Throughout this time, Bhutto became a close and trusted political advisor to Field Marshal Ayub Khan, rising in influence and power despite his youth and relative inexperience in politics. He is strongest. In , Bhutto negotiated an oil exploration agreement with the Soviet Union, which also agreed to provide economic and technical aid to Pakistan.

Tapping a wave of anger and opposition against Ayub, Bhutto began travelling across the country to deliver political speeches. All power to the people. Mubashir Hassan , Bhutto, along with J. Rahim and Dr. In the general elections held in December , P. Bhutto returned home on 18 December Bhutto's trial began on October 24, on charges of "conspiracy to murder" Ahmed Raza Kasuri.

Zia relieved prime minister Bhutto of power, holding him in detention for a month. Zia pledged that new elections would be held in 90 days. He kept postponing the elections and publicly retorted during successive press conferences that if the elections were held in the presence of Bhutto, his party would not return to power again. Upon his release, Bhutto traveled the country amid adulatory crowds of PPP supporters.

He used to take the train traveling from the south to the north and on the way, would address public meetings at different stations. Several of these trains were late, some by days, in reaching their respective destinations and as a result, Bhutto was banned from traveling by train. The last visit he made to the city of Multan in the province of Punjab marked the turning point in Bhutto's political career and ultimately, his life.

In spite of the administration's efforts to block the gathering, the crowd was so large that it became disorderly, providing an opportunity for the administration to declare that Bhutto had been taken into custody because the people were against him and it had become necessary to protect him from the masses for his own safety. On September 3, the Army arrested Bhutto again on charges of authorizing the murder of a political opponent in March A year-old politician, Ahmed Raza Kasuri, tried to run as a PPP candidate in elections, despite having previously left the party.

The Pakistan Peoples Party rebuffed him. Three years earlier, Kasuri and his family had been ambushed, leaving Kasuri's father, Nawab Mohammad Ahmad Khan, dead. Kasuri claimed that he was the actual target, accusing Bhutto of being the mastermind. Kasuri later claimed that he had been the victim of 15 assassination attempts. Bhutto was released 10 days after his arrest, after a judge, Justice KMA Samadani found the evidence "contradictory and incomplete.

Three days later, Zia arrested Bhutto again on the same charges, this time under "martial law. Bhutto was arraigned before the High Court of Lahore instead of in a lower court, thus automatically depriving him of one level of appeal. The judge who had granted him bail was removed. The trial would last five months, and Bhutto appeared in court on a dock specially built for the trial.

Proceedings began on October 24, Mahmood had been arrested immediately after Zia's coup and had been imprisoned for two months prior to taking the stand. In his testimony, he claimed Bhutto had ordered Kasuri's assassination and that four members of the Federal Security Force had organized the ambush on Bhutto's orders. The four alleged assassins were arrested and later confessed.

They were brought into court as "co-accused" but one of them recanted his testimony, declaring that it had been extracted from him under torture. The following day, the witness was not present in court; the prosecution claimed that he had suddenly "fallen ill. Bhutto's defense challenged the prosecution with proof from an army logbook the prosecution had submitted.

It showed that the jeep allegedly driven during the attack on Kasuri was not even in Lahore at the time. The prosecution had the logbook disregarded as "incorrect. The page official transcript contained none of the objections or inconsistencies in the evidence pointed out by the defense. Former U. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who attended the trial, wrote:.

Clark pleaded with the Pakistan government to commute Bhutto's sentence. When Bhutto began his testimony on January 25, , Chief Justice Maulvi Mustaq closed the courtroom to all observers. Bhutto responded by refusing to say any more. Bhutto demanded a retrial, accusing the Chief Justice of bias, after Mustaq allegedly insulted Bhutto's home province.

The court refused his demand. On March 18, , Bhutto was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Bhutto did not seek an appeal. While he was transferred to a cell in Rawalpindi central jail, his family appealed on his behalf, and a hearing before the Supreme Court commenced in May. Bhutto was given one week to prepare. Bhutto issued a thorough rejoinder to the charges, although Zia blocked its publication.

Chief Justice S. Anwarul Haq adjourned the court until the end of July , supposedly because five of the nine appeals court judges were willing to overrule the Lahore verdict. One of the pro-Bhutto judges was due to retire in July. Anwarul Haq presided over the trial, despite being close to Zia, even serving as Acting President when Zia was out of the country.

Bhutto's lawyers managed to secure Bhutto the right to conduct his own defense before the Supreme Court.

Zulfikar ali bhutto biography summary

On December 18, , Bhutto made his appearance in public before a packed courtroom in Rawalpindi. By this time he had been on death row for nine months and had gone without fresh water for the previous 25 days. He addressed the court for four days, speaking without notes. The appeal was completed on December 23, On February 6, , the Supreme Court issued its verdict, "Guilty," a decision reached by a bare 4-to-3 majority.

The Bhutto family had seven days in which to submit a review petition. He ascended to the post of Pakistan's Foreign Minister in but failed to resolve the Pakistan-India conflict over Kashmir. Bhutto advocated for "restoring democracy" and proposed an economic reform program called "Islamic socialism. Ayub Khan's successor, President Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan, dismissed the election results, triggering a civil war that ultimately led to the formation of an independent Bangladesh.

Yahya Khan was forced to resign, and Bhutto assumed the presidency on December 21, After Commonwealth nations recognized Bangladesh's independence, Bhutto withdrew Pakistan from the organization. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it. Hidden categories: Articles containing Urdu-language text Articles containing Sindhi-language text Commons category link from Wikidata People stubs.

Toggle the table of contents. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. In office December 20, — August 13, Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry. In office August 14, — July 5,