Sir Shah Nawaz Khan Bhutto, a respected statesman, and the head of an affluent landowning family of Larkana, was born a son, on the 5th of January 1928, whose brilliance courage, resolution and leadership qualities were destined to give legendary dimensions to the word \"Bhutto\"Born with a sense of destiny, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto studied Political Science, jurisprudence and International Law in Los Angeles at the university of Southern California. He acquired his Honours degree in Political Science in 1950 from the University of California at Berkeley and his Masters degree with Honours in Jurisprudence at Christ Church College, Oxford University in 1952. Called to the Bar at Lincoln\'s Inn in 1953, he subsequently practised as a barrister at the then West Pakistan High Court, Karachi from 1954 to 1958. In 1957 he was a member of Pak Delegation to the 12th U.N. General Assembly session. In February 1958, he led his country\'s delegation to the U.N. conference on the Law of the sea at Geneva.His rise to national prominence and international acclaim began with his appointment as Federal Minister for Commerce in 1958. In June 1960, he was made Minister for Minority Affairs, National Reconstruction and Information. In April 1962, Fuel Power, Natural Resources and Kashmir Affairs became his domain. He was elected unopposed to the National Assembly in March 1962. Later that year he headed his country\'s delegation in the six rounds of Indo-Pak talks on Kashmir.In January 1963, he became Pakistan\'s Foreign Minister. It was in this capacity that he was destined to carve out a new future for his country on the world map. His initiation of a new policy towards China and his role in finalizing the Sino-Pak agreement on the boundaries opened new frontiers for Pakistan.He led Pak delegation to the preparatory meeting of foreign ministers for Second Afro-Asian Conference at Jakarta in April 1964. In July 1965, he attended Afro-Asian Foreign Ministers Conference in Algeria. He led his country\'s delegation to the 14th, 15th, 18th, 19th and 20th sessions of the U.N. General Assembly.It was during and after the war with India in September 1965 that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became a symbol of the national aspirations of the people of Pakistan.He was a member of Pakistan\'s delegation at Tashkent Conference in January 1966 and his differences with Ayub Khan led to his resignation from the government on June 22, 1966. A national hero was born.On 30th November 1967, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto founded the Pakistan People\'s Party and launched his historic struggle for democracy. In September 1968, the mass movement against Ayub Khan\'s dictatorship began resulting in Z.A. Bhutto\'s arrest in November 1968.But there was no stopping the People\'s leader now and the government was compelled to release him in February 1969. Soon after General Yahya Khan\'s martial law replaced Ayub Khan\'s dictatorship.In December 1970, the Pakistan People\'s Party, under the charismatic leadership of its founder-chairman, scored a landslide victory in the western wing of the country in the first ever general elections held on the basis of universal adult franchise.Z.A. Bhutto contested six National Assembly seats from different parts of the country and won with an overwhelming victory in five of them.In the following year, he watched helplessly the tragic consequences of General Yahya Khan\'s military action in East Pakistan. On December 7, 1971 during the Indo-Pak war he was made Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to lead his country\'s delegation to the Security council. On December 20, 1971, he took over as Pakistan\'s President and Chief Martial Law Administrator, to revive the nation from the shock of the tragic dismemberment of the country. He became a symbol of hope.On January 7, 1972 he released Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman. The National Assembly was inaugurated by him April 21, 1972. Through a unanimous vote of confidence, he was elected as President. The martial law was lifted and an interim constitution was introduced.As President, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto held the portfolios of Defence and Foreign Affairs which remained with him till the end.From June 28 to July 3, 1972 he was on a state visit to India and held talks at Simla with Mrs. Indra Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India. As a result of the Simla agreement, Pakistan regained control of over 5000 square miles of lost territory. Over 93,000 P.O. Ws were also repatriated.On April 10, 1973, Z.A. Bhutto gave to the country a unanimously accepted constitution under which he was to be sworn in as Prime Minister on August 14, 1973.Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had always been inspired by a General Vision of Muslim renaissance. Forging of ever closer fraternal ties between Pakistan and other Islamic States had been the guiding principle of his Government\'s policy. His efforts in this direction took him to one of the highest points in^his career; he first convened and organized and then presided over the Second Islamic Summit Conference at Lahore from 22 to 24 February, 1974.This Summit was an epoch-making event in the history of Islam. Never before had such a galaxy of Heads of State, Prime Ministers and other Muslim dignitaries congregated and conferred. The Summit, which represented the Muslim World, constituting nearly one-fifth of the human race, resolved to pursue commonly accepted goals. The scope and area of action were greatly broadened when two momentous moves were made. The first was the significant resolve in the Declaration of Lahore to devise ways and means of eradicating poverty, ignorance and disease from the Islamic world. The second major decision was to identify the Muslim world with the Third World and its struggle for social progress and economic justice.He was committed to the cause of establishing a new socio-economic order to ensure justice and equality in the society.His dynamic and courageous actions and sweeping reforms in the fields of industry, commerce, education, health and administration did not endear him to those who had established unjust monopolies in the past. Bhutto\'s dream of making Pakistan a heaven of socio-economic justice was shared by millions of his dispossessed followers who had adoringly conferred upon him the title of Quaid-e-Awam.Z.A. Bhutto was determined to lead Pakistan upto a prosperous and progressive Muslim State, the Citizens of which should live with dignity and honour. Self sufficiency in technology was one of his top priorities. Kamra, HFF and HMC units at Taxila and his emphasis on development of nuclear capability were all but a few indicatives of the direction that he was so determined to lead his country to.His resolute drive towards a glorious future for Pakistan was abruptly cut-short on July 8, 1977.The Leader of the masses was arrested in September 1977 on murder charge. Released on bail, he was rearrested in October 1977. On March 18, 1978 he was sentenced to death by the Punjab High Court bench during the Martial Law regime of General Zia-ul-Haq.The appeal against this judgement was dismissed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on March 24, 1979.On April 4, 1979 the whole world learnt with a sense of utter shock that the ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, the beloved leader of its masses, the maker of its constitution, the outstanding statesman of the Third World, had been martyred.But Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is not dead.He lives in the souls of the people of Pakistan, throbs in their hearts and urges them on and on towards the future he had dreamt of.Shaheeds never die!To commemorate the 29th Martyrdom Anniversary of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan Post is issuing a commemorative postage stamp of Rs. 41- denomination and a Souvenir sheet of Rs. 20/- on April 4, 2008
1. Twice elected ex-Prime Minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was martyred in an extremely brutal incident on 27th December, 2007 at Liaqat National Bagh Rawalpindi, while she was campaigning ahead of general elections scheduled for January 2008. She breathed her last at 18:16 local time (13:16 UTC). At least 23 other people were also killed in the same incident. Shortly after her return from exile two months earlier, she had survived a similar attempt on her life that killed at least 139 people. 2. Born in Karachi on June 21,1953, Mohtarma completed her early schooling in Pakistan. She was later educated at Radeliff College and at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. While at Oxford she became the first non-British woman to be elected President of the Oxford Union, the University\'s prestigious debating team and was this included in the list of outstanding international leaders who achieved this distinction in their student days. In 1977, she completed Oxford\'s diploma course in International Law and Diplomacy and returned to Pakistan. From July, 1977 to 1988 as a leader of the Pakistan People\'s Party, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed waged a relentless exemplary struggle for the restoration of democracy in the country. She was imprisoned for long years and witnessed the trauma of the hanging of her illustrious father in April 1979 and the mysterious death of her younger brother, Mir Shahnawaz Bhutto before being exiled. 3. She faced the oppression with courage and determination, was arrested nine times and held in detention or in prison for more than five years. The dictatorial regime\'s response to the call for the restoration of democracy was a sustained period of repression and the arrest of political leaders, Including Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, who was imprisoned in March 1981. She remained in detention until January 1984, when due to serious health problems she was obliged to seek medical treatment in the United Kingdom. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed became an international symbol as she led the fight for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan from her prison cell.She played a key-role in the formation of nine-Party alliance for the restoration of democracy in 1981 called (MRD). The alliance mobilized the people to put pressure on the Government of General Zia-uI-Haq to hold elections in the country and hand over power to the Representatives of the people.4. From exile, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed continued to guide and lead the political movement against the military regime in Pakistan. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed also played a significant role in espousing the cause of restoration of democracy at various international forums. She returned to Pakistan in April 1986. The reception given to her on her arrival in Lahore from exile was unmatched in the history of Pakistan.5. The turning point in the country\'s political set up came with the death of General Zia-ul-Haq in a plane crash in August 1988. General election were held in Pakistan on November 16, 1988. The Pakistan People\'s Party won majority of seats in the National Assembly and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was invited by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan to form government. Declafring that \"Democracy was the best revenge\" she decided to guide people from anarchy to the management to democracy. She acted forcefully to restore constitutional freedoms. She lift the ban on student\'s and trade unions imposed under the military dictatorship, immediately restored freedom of the press and agreed to separation of the Judiciary from the executive. She also decided to restructure the PPP. Her objective was to strengthen the channels of communications and consultation process at gross-root level and to involve party cadres in the decision-making process.6. Although, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed became Prime Minister of Pakistan with popular vote and mandate to serve the people for full tenure, her stay was made difficult through back- door intrigues, silhouettes of dictatorship and martial law which continued to cast shadows over the nascent democratic system. On August 6, 1990, after having been in office for less than half of her tenure, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed her Government unconstitutionally and called for fresh elections.7. While ensuring that her party should not return to power, the President and Caretaker Prime minister filed a series of references against Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. Her husband, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari was arrested and imprisoned on number of trumped up charges of which, none could be proved.8. On October 19, 1993, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, was again sworn in as Prime Minister after success of her Party in general elections. This time also her government was dismissed by President Mr. Farooq Laghari. False charges were framed against her government and Mr. Asif Ali Zardari to keep her out of power. She was made to leave Pakistan again and exiled to Dubai where from she continued her struggle for the restoration of democracy.9. As a result of continued dialogue, meetings, speeches and articles published in western and Pakistan media, she succeeded in convincing the leaders of the world and Pakistan for holding of fair and free elections under civilian President and withdrawal of all the court cases registered for political victimization.10. Consequently she arrived in Pakistan on October 18th 2007, She was accorded a warm welcome at Karachi which was demonstration of self less dedication. As the procession reached near Karsaz two successive bomb blasts took place. Though, several political workers were martyred and injured but due to the human shield arranged by the workers of PPP she was saved. The event could not coerce her and she continued to address the election rallies all over the country without any fear, till the last day of her life.11. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed is the author of three books Foreign Policy in Perspective (1978), Daughter of the east (1988) and Reconciliation published after her death.To commemorate the 1st martyrdom Anniversary of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, Pakistan Post is issuing commemorative postage stamp Rs. 4/- and Souvenir Sheet Rs. 20/- on December 27, 2008.
