Thursday, June 3, 2010

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928-1979)

Early Life:
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was born of Khursheed Begum nee Lakshmi Bai and Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto., 0n 5th Jan 1928. He was born in a prominent Sindhi Si'a Muslim Arain family. His father was a wealthy land lord, a zamindar, and a prominent politician in Sindhi. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto completed his early education from Bombay's Cathedral High School. In 1947, he joined the University of Southern California  and later the University of California at Berkeleyin June 1949.After completing its degree in honors degree in Political Science at Berkeley  Here he would become interested in the theories of socialism, delivering a series of lectures on the feasibility of socialism in Islamic countries.  In June 1950, he was admitted to Oxford. He married Nusrat Ishphahani on Sep. 1951..He was called to Bar at Linconn's Inn in 1953, and the same yearhis first child Benazir was born. On his return to Pakistan, Bhutto accepted the post of lecturer at the Sindh Muslim College, from where he was also awarded a law degree by then College President Mr. Hassanally A. Rahman before establishing himself  in a legal practice in Karachi. He also took over the management of his family's estate and business interests after his father's death.  
Political career :  Sheikh Abdullah with Ayub and Bhutto, 1964.
In 1957, Bhutto became the youngest member of Pakistan's delegation to the United Nations. He would address the United Nations Sixth Conference on Aggreeion on Oct 1957 and lead Pakistan's deputation to the United Nations Conference of the law of the seas in 1958. In the same year , Bhutto became the youngest   Pakistani Cabinet Minister when he was given the charge of the Energy Ministry by President Muhammad Ayub Khan , who had seized power and declared martial law. He was subsequently promoted to head the ministries  of commerce, information and industries. Bhutto became a closed and trusted advisor to Ayub, rising in influence and power despite his youth and relative inexperience in politics. Bhutto aided Ayub in negotiating the Indus Water Treaty with India in 1960. In 1961, Bhutto negotiated an oil exploration agreement with Soviet Union, which also nagreed to provide economic and technical aid to Pakistan.