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Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan: His Life & Times
No individual in the history of Pakistan--indeed, few people in modern history--have achieved greater popular power or suffered so ignominious a death as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto's political rise and fall were so meteoric that his name became a legend in the land he once ruled. Indeed, a full decade after his execution his continuing popularity ensured the election of his daughter, Benazir, to the premier position he once held. As she campaigned in Sind and Punjab, the crowds cried "Jiye Bhutto "--"Bhutto Lives "--and the Bhutto they meant was Zulfi.
Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan tells the story of this remarkable life in a vivid, insightful narrative. Written by Stanley Wolpert, a leading authority on South Asia and the author of the acclaimed biography Jinnah of Pakistan, the volume traces the life of this remarkable figure from the colorful days of his feudal ancestors to his imprisonment and hanging at the hands of a military dictatorship.
Bhutto, Wolpert writes, was a charismatic and contradictory man, a microcosmic reflection of Pakistan itself--a nation born out of division with India which later fell victim to its own internal split with the creation of Bangladesh. Wolpert follows him from his privileged youth in British-ruled India, to his years as a student at USC and UC Berkeley (where he sported a thin moustache, shiny two-tone shoes, and proved a keen, if rakish, fraternity brother), to Oxford and back to Pakistan. Bhutto climbed to the heights of power with amazing swiftness, winning a seat in the central Cabinet of Pakistan at the unprecedented age of thirty. Wolpert weaves Pakistan's turbulent politics and repeated wars with India together with Bhutto's ambitious maneuvering, tracing his rise to Foreign Minister, the founding of his own political movement, and finally leadership of the nation. The story of Bhutto's sometimes brilliant, sometimes quixotic career is a fascinating one, and Wolpert tells it well, through Bhutto's triumphant years in the mid-1970s, the military coup in 1977, and his treacherous imprisonment and execution in 1979.
Like the nation he embodied, Bhutto led a sprawling, ambitious, and tragic existence. Wolpert's intensively researched, engagingly written account captures the scheming, the grandeur, and the contradictions of one of modern history's most fascinating figures.
Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan tells the story of this remarkable life in a vivid, insightful narrative. Written by Stanley Wolpert, a leading authority on South Asia and the author of the acclaimed biography Jinnah of Pakistan, the volume traces the life of this remarkable figure from the colorful days of his feudal ancestors to his imprisonment and hanging at the hands of a military dictatorship.
Bhutto, Wolpert writes, was a charismatic and contradictory man, a microcosmic reflection of Pakistan itself--a nation born out of division with India which later fell victim to its own internal split with the creation of Bangladesh. Wolpert follows him from his privileged youth in British-ruled India, to his years as a student at USC and UC Berkeley (where he sported a thin moustache, shiny two-tone shoes, and proved a keen, if rakish, fraternity brother), to Oxford and back to Pakistan. Bhutto climbed to the heights of power with amazing swiftness, winning a seat in the central Cabinet of Pakistan at the unprecedented age of thirty. Wolpert weaves Pakistan's turbulent politics and repeated wars with India together with Bhutto's ambitious maneuvering, tracing his rise to Foreign Minister, the founding of his own political movement, and finally leadership of the nation. The story of Bhutto's sometimes brilliant, sometimes quixotic career is a fascinating one, and Wolpert tells it well, through Bhutto's triumphant years in the mid-1970s, the military coup in 1977, and his treacherous imprisonment and execution in 1979.
Like the nation he embodied, Bhutto led a sprawling, ambitious, and tragic existence. Wolpert's intensively researched, engagingly written account captures the scheming, the grandeur, and the contradictions of one of modern history's most fascinating figures.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
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About the author
Stanley Wolpert
23 books112 followersStanley A. Wolpert is an American academic, Indologist, and author considered one of the world's foremost authorities on the political and intellectual history of modern India and Pakistan and has written fiction and nonfiction books on the topics. He taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1959-2002.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 27, 2016
I have read a good deal on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928-1979) in English and Urdu, from locals and foreigners, but it is fair to say that no one has written a better biography of Bhutto than the one under review by Stanley Wolpert, whose meticulous research and personal knowledge of the man and his politics stands out from every page. The biggest problem with writing a bio of Bhutto is lack of neutrality. The man elicits strong views on both sides of the spectrum and even among outsiders who might have some claim to objectivity. And I believe this is why it is important to turn to a historian who did not have a stake in the life and politics of Bhutto, but a deep and genuine interest, bordering on fascination, to know and understand the man.
Wolpert's nuanced portrait, showing Bhutto in all his stunning contradictions, is the truest a contemporary historian could possibly draw of a relatively recent political figure (It was first published in 1993, fourteen years after Bhutto's infamous judicial murder). You turn the last page over with the full knowledge and understanding of the reality that gave rise to a suave politician, a spellbinding orator, a socialist-minded politician, a reckless adventurer, a man who founded a new strategic foreign policy still in place, set up the nuclear program ("We will eat grass but we will build a bomb") and who, being an admirer of Napoleon that he was, became more and more autocratic, which in combination with other factors (civil-military scuffle, suspected reelection fraud, American vexation at Bhutto's friendly relations with the Socialist bloc, leading to clandestine American approval for the military coup, led by the infamous General Zia-ul-Haq no less), led to his eventual downfall and hanging.
Today, despite his flaws and mistakes, Zulfi Bhutto is widely seen as the most effective leader independent Pakistan ever produced, whose legacy lives on in the current 1973 constitution, nuclear capability, foreign policy pivot, relative independence of the provinces vis-a-vis the centre in Islamabad etc.
July '16
Wolpert's nuanced portrait, showing Bhutto in all his stunning contradictions, is the truest a contemporary historian could possibly draw of a relatively recent political figure (It was first published in 1993, fourteen years after Bhutto's infamous judicial murder). You turn the last page over with the full knowledge and understanding of the reality that gave rise to a suave politician, a spellbinding orator, a socialist-minded politician, a reckless adventurer, a man who founded a new strategic foreign policy still in place, set up the nuclear program ("We will eat grass but we will build a bomb") and who, being an admirer of Napoleon that he was, became more and more autocratic, which in combination with other factors (civil-military scuffle, suspected reelection fraud, American vexation at Bhutto's friendly relations with the Socialist bloc, leading to clandestine American approval for the military coup, led by the infamous General Zia-ul-Haq no less), led to his eventual downfall and hanging.
Today, despite his flaws and mistakes, Zulfi Bhutto is widely seen as the most effective leader independent Pakistan ever produced, whose legacy lives on in the current 1973 constitution, nuclear capability, foreign policy pivot, relative independence of the provinces vis-a-vis the centre in Islamabad etc.
July '16
December 14, 2020
When Stanley Wolpert was researching Jinnah of Pakistan,he became fascinated by the figure of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his dramatic and ultimately,tragic story.
There are lots and lots of books on the Bhuttos,most are hagiographic accounts.Zulfikar and his daughter Benazir wrote self serving books too.
But Wolpert's book is easily the best,the most interesting and balanced account of Bhutto's life.The man had great charisma but he was also a deeply polarising,controversial figure.
He had achievements to his credit.It was a very difficult time to take over.The country had just been dismembered.
He gave Pakistan the 1973 constitution,which endures till this day.He also started Pakistan's nuclear programme after India conducted nuclear tests in 1974,leaving Pakistan's security in a very precarious state.
Bhutto famously said that Pakistanis would eat grass,but must have the bomb.It didn't make him too popular with the US government.
He went to India and signed the Simla Agreement,which brought back 90,000 prisoners of war back home.He held a big show in Lahore in 1974,the Islamic Summit,which brought the leaders of the entire Muslim world to Pakistan.
On the other hand,he was also known for autocratic tendencies,cruelty to opponents and some very erratic,controversial and whimsical decision making.
His role in the two Indo Pak wars will always be debated.In 1965,he was among those who conceived Operation Gibralter in Kashmir.This led India to launch a full scale war in September that year.Bhutto was Foreign Minister then,but he did not accept the Tashkent Peace Agreement of 1966,and resigned.
He launched a movement against military ruler Ayub Khan and became popular enough to force Ayub out of power,as protests swept the country.Along the way,he survived assassination attempts.
In 1971,his party was in a political deadlock against Sheikh Mujib's Awami League (in East Pakistan).Neither would budge,a military operation was launched to quell disturbances and East Pakistan became Bangladesh.That paved the way for Bhutto to assume power in Pakistan by ousting military ruler,Yahya Khan.
Before that,he had famously torn apart a Polish cease fire resolution and stormed out of the United Nations.
His years in power were characterized by controversial policies.Most notably,he introduced massive nationaliaztion of key industries.This stifled economic growth and led to large scale induction of political workers in government jobs.He went after the bureaucracy,massively diluting their powers.
His relationship with army generals was never smooth.He handpicked General Zia ul Haq,the juniormost Lt.General to head the army.But he treated him with scorn.Zia deposed Bhutto in 1977,in a military coup.
Only one of them could stay alive after that,and Zia chose to execute Bhutto when he was only 50.Had he lived,he would definitely have punished Zia.
But the manner of Bhutto's death turned him into a martyr for his millions of followers.The Bhutto name would become the rallying cry, a stepping stone to power for his daughter,Benazir,who would herself be assassinated.(A similar fate would befall Bhutto's two sons Shahnawaz and Murtaza).
Few politicians in Pakistan have had his stature,and few have been reviled as much.
Stanley Wolpert has done an excellent job in telling this story.There are lots of anecdotes about Bhutto's life.One gets a sense of what a volatile,mercurial personality he was.The research is exhaustive.The book is a very valuable reference about Bhutto's policies during his time in power.
The book is as dramatic as Bhutto's life.
There are lots and lots of books on the Bhuttos,most are hagiographic accounts.Zulfikar and his daughter Benazir wrote self serving books too.
But Wolpert's book is easily the best,the most interesting and balanced account of Bhutto's life.The man had great charisma but he was also a deeply polarising,controversial figure.
He had achievements to his credit.It was a very difficult time to take over.The country had just been dismembered.
He gave Pakistan the 1973 constitution,which endures till this day.He also started Pakistan's nuclear programme after India conducted nuclear tests in 1974,leaving Pakistan's security in a very precarious state.
Bhutto famously said that Pakistanis would eat grass,but must have the bomb.It didn't make him too popular with the US government.
He went to India and signed the Simla Agreement,which brought back 90,000 prisoners of war back home.He held a big show in Lahore in 1974,the Islamic Summit,which brought the leaders of the entire Muslim world to Pakistan.
On the other hand,he was also known for autocratic tendencies,cruelty to opponents and some very erratic,controversial and whimsical decision making.
His role in the two Indo Pak wars will always be debated.In 1965,he was among those who conceived Operation Gibralter in Kashmir.This led India to launch a full scale war in September that year.Bhutto was Foreign Minister then,but he did not accept the Tashkent Peace Agreement of 1966,and resigned.
He launched a movement against military ruler Ayub Khan and became popular enough to force Ayub out of power,as protests swept the country.Along the way,he survived assassination attempts.
In 1971,his party was in a political deadlock against Sheikh Mujib's Awami League (in East Pakistan).Neither would budge,a military operation was launched to quell disturbances and East Pakistan became Bangladesh.That paved the way for Bhutto to assume power in Pakistan by ousting military ruler,Yahya Khan.
Before that,he had famously torn apart a Polish cease fire resolution and stormed out of the United Nations.
His years in power were characterized by controversial policies.Most notably,he introduced massive nationaliaztion of key industries.This stifled economic growth and led to large scale induction of political workers in government jobs.He went after the bureaucracy,massively diluting their powers.
His relationship with army generals was never smooth.He handpicked General Zia ul Haq,the juniormost Lt.General to head the army.But he treated him with scorn.Zia deposed Bhutto in 1977,in a military coup.
Only one of them could stay alive after that,and Zia chose to execute Bhutto when he was only 50.Had he lived,he would definitely have punished Zia.
But the manner of Bhutto's death turned him into a martyr for his millions of followers.The Bhutto name would become the rallying cry, a stepping stone to power for his daughter,Benazir,who would herself be assassinated.(A similar fate would befall Bhutto's two sons Shahnawaz and Murtaza).
Few politicians in Pakistan have had his stature,and few have been reviled as much.
Stanley Wolpert has done an excellent job in telling this story.There are lots of anecdotes about Bhutto's life.One gets a sense of what a volatile,mercurial personality he was.The research is exhaustive.The book is a very valuable reference about Bhutto's policies during his time in power.
The book is as dramatic as Bhutto's life.
May 16, 2016
Bhutto comes out as a true patriot. He wanted to boost Pakistan's image in the world and took appropiate stances where ever he got the opportunity on the world stage, but unfortunately his administration skills were very basic, which meant that the ideal expectations he had set for himself and his beloved land of the Pure were doomed from the start.
Bhutto was also to partly blame for the 1965 misadventure against India, as he was one of the close advisors who convinced Ayub who started a limited war of aggression in Indian Kashmir. This is no conspiracy theory as the author qoutes from text from offical correspondence availible in excellent english. Apparently the 'distrust' of America which has now become common element in every Pakistani dialogue was openly exploited by Bhutto to justify India's all out attack on Punjab which went against his initial analysis that the 'Hindu' was too weak and scared to attack a martially superior Pakistan. Therefore, it must be America which was behind India in launching this outrageous attack. How else could a nonmartial race suddenly take on Pakistanis without the support of superpowers like America and Russsia?
Bhutto also used the same unsubstantiated martially-supreme philosophy to galvinize public opinion. Using the ceasefire as a loss and a blow to the fighting capability of a martial Pakistani race, to launch his own politicaly independent career.
"The world must know that the 100 million people of Pakistan will never abandon their pledges and promises. ... Indians may abandon their pledges and promises; we shall never abandon ours............We shall fight for honour; we are not aggressors; we are the victims of aggression."
Zulfi Bhutto "fused" not only the sufferings of Pakistan with those of Kashmir but his own battered, defeated, and unappreciated feelings, dreams, ambitions, and desires with those of the people of Pakistan. Like them, he felt small and oppressed, bullied by Ayub and India, coldly "disregarded" by the cruel "calculations" of heartless UN councils, and greatpower politicians. Yet "history" would vindicate them both, Bhutto and the people, for theirs was a "righteous cause," and Allah would save them all in His Court of Last Judgement. From the ashes of defeat, as from the ashes of death, Zulfi believed, Sufi mystic that he was, reputations, like devout souls, could rise again, winning the final victory of righteous "surrender"—Islam—to Allah over satanic injustice.
1971
Leading upto 1971, the independence of Bengladesh there were two revolutionary parties in Pakistan. PPP and Awami Party of Mujib Ur Rehman. Both were driven by populist rhetoric against the Martial Law government. PPP electoral strategy was to massage the wounded martial ego of West Pakistanis for the defeat in the 1965 war, while Awami Party blamed West Pakistan for their disencherfrisement. Bhutto was clear that he could not never have the power over Pakistan becuase of shear superior numbers of Awami Party, therefore he alighned with the Army to declare Awami Party as a successionist party while in reality all Mujib wanted was power over all of the country.
His reign as a civilian dictator followed by a disasterous election and the conflict with General Zial -Ul Haque read like a thriller. How a subserviant and pliant general was able to turn the tables on his powerful master proves to be a real page turner.
In the end I think Bhutto was too egosystical to form a team to administrator effectively. The same Bhutto could have managed to turn the destiny of Pakistan if somehow he could learn to place his trust in an adminstrative team of individduals. But I think his feudal upbringing made him too distrusting.
Bhutto was also to partly blame for the 1965 misadventure against India, as he was one of the close advisors who convinced Ayub who started a limited war of aggression in Indian Kashmir. This is no conspiracy theory as the author qoutes from text from offical correspondence availible in excellent english. Apparently the 'distrust' of America which has now become common element in every Pakistani dialogue was openly exploited by Bhutto to justify India's all out attack on Punjab which went against his initial analysis that the 'Hindu' was too weak and scared to attack a martially superior Pakistan. Therefore, it must be America which was behind India in launching this outrageous attack. How else could a nonmartial race suddenly take on Pakistanis without the support of superpowers like America and Russsia?
Bhutto also used the same unsubstantiated martially-supreme philosophy to galvinize public opinion. Using the ceasefire as a loss and a blow to the fighting capability of a martial Pakistani race, to launch his own politicaly independent career.
"The world must know that the 100 million people of Pakistan will never abandon their pledges and promises. ... Indians may abandon their pledges and promises; we shall never abandon ours............We shall fight for honour; we are not aggressors; we are the victims of aggression."
Zulfi Bhutto "fused" not only the sufferings of Pakistan with those of Kashmir but his own battered, defeated, and unappreciated feelings, dreams, ambitions, and desires with those of the people of Pakistan. Like them, he felt small and oppressed, bullied by Ayub and India, coldly "disregarded" by the cruel "calculations" of heartless UN councils, and greatpower politicians. Yet "history" would vindicate them both, Bhutto and the people, for theirs was a "righteous cause," and Allah would save them all in His Court of Last Judgement. From the ashes of defeat, as from the ashes of death, Zulfi believed, Sufi mystic that he was, reputations, like devout souls, could rise again, winning the final victory of righteous "surrender"—Islam—to Allah over satanic injustice.
1971
Leading upto 1971, the independence of Bengladesh there were two revolutionary parties in Pakistan. PPP and Awami Party of Mujib Ur Rehman. Both were driven by populist rhetoric against the Martial Law government. PPP electoral strategy was to massage the wounded martial ego of West Pakistanis for the defeat in the 1965 war, while Awami Party blamed West Pakistan for their disencherfrisement. Bhutto was clear that he could not never have the power over Pakistan becuase of shear superior numbers of Awami Party, therefore he alighned with the Army to declare Awami Party as a successionist party while in reality all Mujib wanted was power over all of the country.
His reign as a civilian dictator followed by a disasterous election and the conflict with General Zial -Ul Haque read like a thriller. How a subserviant and pliant general was able to turn the tables on his powerful master proves to be a real page turner.
In the end I think Bhutto was too egosystical to form a team to administrator effectively. The same Bhutto could have managed to turn the destiny of Pakistan if somehow he could learn to place his trust in an adminstrative team of individduals. But I think his feudal upbringing made him too distrusting.
May 21, 2014
Stanley Wolpert tells the story of a brilliant and contradictory man.
A man who was a gifted strategic thinker in foreign affairs; but struggled to make fundamental changes to his own country.
He used his great oratory abilities to uplift the morale of the Pakistani masses while systematically demeaning those who were closest to him.
A man who was clever enough to use Pakistan’s defeats (which were in part his fault) in 1965 and 1971 to promote his own political rise, yet so arrogant that he overplayed his own advantage in the 1977 elections, which led to his downfall.
Despite using some material from Bhutto’s family, Wolpert was able to give a fairly balanced portrait of Zulfikhar Ali Bhutto, and does a decent job of describing the emotional context of key events in Pakistani history.
The biggest problem of this work seems to be the author’s need to quote so much of Bhutto’s public speeches. Rather than mere one sentence quotes, he provides several paragraphs throughout the work. One almost gets the impression that he is (at times) substituting Bhutto’s speeches for actual text.
That said; this is still a balanced and thorough work on one of history’s most polarizing figures.
A man who was a gifted strategic thinker in foreign affairs; but struggled to make fundamental changes to his own country.
He used his great oratory abilities to uplift the morale of the Pakistani masses while systematically demeaning those who were closest to him.
A man who was clever enough to use Pakistan’s defeats (which were in part his fault) in 1965 and 1971 to promote his own political rise, yet so arrogant that he overplayed his own advantage in the 1977 elections, which led to his downfall.
Despite using some material from Bhutto’s family, Wolpert was able to give a fairly balanced portrait of Zulfikhar Ali Bhutto, and does a decent job of describing the emotional context of key events in Pakistani history.
The biggest problem of this work seems to be the author’s need to quote so much of Bhutto’s public speeches. Rather than mere one sentence quotes, he provides several paragraphs throughout the work. One almost gets the impression that he is (at times) substituting Bhutto’s speeches for actual text.
That said; this is still a balanced and thorough work on one of history’s most polarizing figures.
July 27, 2021
No individual in the history of Pakistan — indeed, few people in modern history — have achieved greater popular power or suffered so ignominious a death as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto's political rise and fall were so meteoric that his name became a legend in the land he once ruled.
Goosebumps!!!!!!! Stanley Wolpert’s illuminating prose, of this interesting politician, his extraordinarily remarkable yet tragically flawed life, makes it hands-down one of the best biographies I’ve ever picked. Excellent. Unbiased. Absorbing.
Goosebumps!!!!!!! Stanley Wolpert’s illuminating prose, of this interesting politician, his extraordinarily remarkable yet tragically flawed life, makes it hands-down one of the best biographies I’ve ever picked. Excellent. Unbiased. Absorbing.
June 17, 2019
Punjabi distrusting Sindhi, Baluchi suspicious of both, and half the tribesmen along the North-West Frontier holding rifles loaded at the ready, cocked to fire at the other half. Where, then, was that Land of the Pure called Pakistan, for which one Quaid had worn out his pain-racked life and the other was now about to be hanged before dawn on 4 April 1979?
June 14, 2013
notoriously reputed me in my college class as a Bhutto fan.
March 30, 2020
Wolpert is easy to read, and Zulfi the most interesting Pakistani politician after Jinnah. Well worth your time
August 30, 2021
zinda ha bhutto zinda ha ✌️
March 22, 2020
It was my first interaction with Wolpert. And, to be honest, he really impressed me with his story telling. A novel in the guise of a biography, that's how he writes. He presented Mr. Bhutto as a human, not as an angel - as most biographers do. From the ancient history of Bhutto clan to the demise of its most charming progeny, the reader feels himslef in love with the book.
March 17, 2020
Balanced account of Bhutto's life who was the most popular leader in Pakistan's history. Despite his faults as an administrator, he was the elected PM by people with great achievements under his belt. He dared challenging the authority of Pakistan's mighty military establishment, but the only question is why the people who elected him in the first place failed to get out to rescue him?
The only shortcoming in the book was Bhutto's long speeches, copied word to word, making reading tedious.
The only shortcoming in the book was Bhutto's long speeches, copied word to word, making reading tedious.
May 31, 2019
It was a pleasure to explore the labyrinth of a lifetime of Quaid e Awam. A great deal to learn from his life, from the Pinnacle of Power to the pits of his death cell, bhutto indeed did alot for Pakistan on foreign grounds, though domestically he too let himself been played on the stage show of lethal Siasat. To supercede Zia ul haq & then subjecting him to humiliation lead him to his death.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2012
Very few biographers do justice with public life and private life with such disparity and how both lives interact and influence each other. Wolpert knows this art and the same feeling I had with his other biographies.
February 13, 2018
Wolpert is a very good biographer and he did full justice to the personality of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, capturing most of his eccentricities, character traits and facets of life before he rose to the spotlight and after.
January 10, 2013
Really good book, accurate and much more engaging than his book on Jinnah. And, perhaps, too accurate for some.
September 10, 2013
Zulfi Bhutto is, in a way, idolized by SW however his shortcomings are highlighted/ disguised shrewdly to give the reader a sort of complete perspective. Generally a good read.
February 7, 2016
A spectacular book just like the author himself.
May 29, 2016
Great Indeed. Many new things for me.
May 10, 2017
The image of Bhutto we are feed and how he truly was are two opposite accounts. The book briefs the reader about Bhutto's love affairs, the rise of People's Party and many other things.
September 10, 2017
Really well-written. I really enjoyed this book and constantly use it as a reference.
December 29, 2017
No body could write a better book and character sketch of Zulfiqar Bhutto than Stanley Wolpert
June 17, 2018
What a captivating book about an equally enchanting and complex individual.
May 1, 2019
This is an excellently written book. It will not only introduce to just ZAB, but this also gives an understanding of Politics in Pakistan and the military's involvement in it.
May 23, 2019
To understand Pakistan, one have to read this after reading Jinnah.
May 31, 2019
Very good read. A lot of history post partition has been covered well. The author has spent a lot of time researching every detail.
I am going to read more from this author about India/Pakistan.
I am going to read more from this author about India/Pakistan.
July 6, 2023
Stanley Wolpert tells the story of a brilliant and contradictory man.
A man who was a gifted strategic thinker in foreign affairs; but struggled to make fundamental changes to his own country.
No individual in the history of Pakistan--indeed, few people in modern history--have achieved greater popular power or suffered so ignominious a death as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto's political rise and fall were so meteoric that his name became a legend in the land he once ruled. Indeed, a
full decade after his execution his continuing popularity ensured the election of his daughter, Benazir, to the premier position he once held. As she campaigned in Sind and Punjab, the crowds cried "Jiye Bhutto!"--"Bhutto Lives!"--and the Bhutto they meant was Zulfi.
Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan tells the story of this remarkable life in a vivid, insightful narrative. Written by Stanley Wolpert, a leading authority on South Asia and the author of the acclaimed biography Jinnah of Pakistan, the volume traces the life of this remarkable figure from the colorful
days of his feudal ancestors to his imprisonment and hanging at the hands of a military dictatorship.
Bhutto, Wolpert writes, was a charismatic and contradictory man, a microcosmic reflection of Pakistan itself--a nation born out of division with India which later fell victim to its own internal split with the creation of Bangladesh. Wolpert follows him from his privileged youth in British-ruled
India, to his years as a student at USC and UC Berkeley (where he sported a thin moustache, shiny two-tone shoes, and proved a keen, if rakish, fraternity brother), to Oxford and back to Pakistan. Bhutto climbed to the heights of power with amazing swiftness, winning a seat in the central Cabinet of
Pakistan at the unprecedented age of thirty. Wolpert weaves Pakistan's turbulent politics and repeated wars with India together with Bhutto's ambitious maneuvering, tracing his rise to Foreign Minister, the founding of his own political movement, and finally leadership of the nation. The story of
Bhutto's sometimes brilliant, sometimes quixotic career is a fascinating one, and Wolpert tells it well, through Bhutto's triumphant years in the mid-1970s, the military coup in 1977, and his treacherous imprisonment and execution in 1979.
Like the nation he embodied, Bhutto led a sprawling, ambitious, and tragic existence. Wolpert's intensively researched, engagingly written account captures the scheming, the grandeur, and the contradictions of one of modern history's most fascinating figures.
Without a doubt Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a complicated man. A single biography cannot tell all about his impact, or the legacy he left in Pakistan. Nonetheless, Wolpert's book does a great job in illuminating the complex political and personal ambitions of this wealthy land-owner from Sindh. Socialist and populist in his inclinations, appealing to Islam in his rhetoric, yet also very secular and feudal in other dimensions, Bhutto was loved by many, and hated by some. This biography is most extensive in its review of the early political life of Bhutto, his involvement with the 1965 war as foreign minister, and the controversial policies he faced when he came to office, after the independence of Bangladesh. There is perhaps less information on his personal life, the relations with his sons and daughters, and not as much on the coup that put him out of power (it comprises the last chapter of the book), but this book does offer an otherwise very comprehensive assessment of Bhutto. A few decade old, but a book still worth reading.
A man who was a gifted strategic thinker in foreign affairs; but struggled to make fundamental changes to his own country.
No individual in the history of Pakistan--indeed, few people in modern history--have achieved greater popular power or suffered so ignominious a death as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto's political rise and fall were so meteoric that his name became a legend in the land he once ruled. Indeed, a
full decade after his execution his continuing popularity ensured the election of his daughter, Benazir, to the premier position he once held. As she campaigned in Sind and Punjab, the crowds cried "Jiye Bhutto!"--"Bhutto Lives!"--and the Bhutto they meant was Zulfi.
Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan tells the story of this remarkable life in a vivid, insightful narrative. Written by Stanley Wolpert, a leading authority on South Asia and the author of the acclaimed biography Jinnah of Pakistan, the volume traces the life of this remarkable figure from the colorful
days of his feudal ancestors to his imprisonment and hanging at the hands of a military dictatorship.
Bhutto, Wolpert writes, was a charismatic and contradictory man, a microcosmic reflection of Pakistan itself--a nation born out of division with India which later fell victim to its own internal split with the creation of Bangladesh. Wolpert follows him from his privileged youth in British-ruled
India, to his years as a student at USC and UC Berkeley (where he sported a thin moustache, shiny two-tone shoes, and proved a keen, if rakish, fraternity brother), to Oxford and back to Pakistan. Bhutto climbed to the heights of power with amazing swiftness, winning a seat in the central Cabinet of
Pakistan at the unprecedented age of thirty. Wolpert weaves Pakistan's turbulent politics and repeated wars with India together with Bhutto's ambitious maneuvering, tracing his rise to Foreign Minister, the founding of his own political movement, and finally leadership of the nation. The story of
Bhutto's sometimes brilliant, sometimes quixotic career is a fascinating one, and Wolpert tells it well, through Bhutto's triumphant years in the mid-1970s, the military coup in 1977, and his treacherous imprisonment and execution in 1979.
Like the nation he embodied, Bhutto led a sprawling, ambitious, and tragic existence. Wolpert's intensively researched, engagingly written account captures the scheming, the grandeur, and the contradictions of one of modern history's most fascinating figures.
Without a doubt Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a complicated man. A single biography cannot tell all about his impact, or the legacy he left in Pakistan. Nonetheless, Wolpert's book does a great job in illuminating the complex political and personal ambitions of this wealthy land-owner from Sindh. Socialist and populist in his inclinations, appealing to Islam in his rhetoric, yet also very secular and feudal in other dimensions, Bhutto was loved by many, and hated by some. This biography is most extensive in its review of the early political life of Bhutto, his involvement with the 1965 war as foreign minister, and the controversial policies he faced when he came to office, after the independence of Bangladesh. There is perhaps less information on his personal life, the relations with his sons and daughters, and not as much on the coup that put him out of power (it comprises the last chapter of the book), but this book does offer an otherwise very comprehensive assessment of Bhutto. A few decade old, but a book still worth reading.
October 18, 2024
The last chapter is mainly where the coup that replaced Zulfi Bhutto with the military dictator Zia was covered, and that was the part I was the most interested in when I first started reading this book. But this was a very thorough overview of the mans life and of the state of Pakistan before, during, and after Bhutto was in power and I appreciate all I got out of it. Lol, perhaps it was a little too thorough to remain consistently entertaining and easy to follow cover-to-cover.
Though I did enjoy learning about Zulfi's life when he was younger. Haha, it was interesting to think of him going to Berkeley and being initiated into a fraternity by being left inside a potato sack. Like, Zulfi Bhutto was just this young brown frat boy in the late 1940s! Had a love-hate relationship with needing to learn Latin for university, lol. Always chasing after the ladies too, he didn't seem all that different from your average university fuck boy. Except he did not stop the lady chasing once he got older...poor Begum Nusrat :/
Many peoples reviews say Wolpert remained unbiased towards Zulfi, remaining impartial by not idolizing him or hating on him too much. I can agree with this to a certain extent- Zulfi's character comes through as a very contradicting and multifaceted man, just as he is often described.
The thing is, I think Wolpert respects the love that the masses in Pakistan had for Zulfi Bhutto, more so than any sort of genuine respect or liking he had for him as an individual. A lot of his direct opinion of Zulfi comes across as a psychoanalysis of his character, and within that there is a lot of poking fun at the man. Which is fine! He does not have to like him, I am not a Zulfi lover either. The problem I had is that a lot of the indirect jabs got too long-winded at times. During these times it was as if Wolpert was leading the reader to feel a certain way about Zulfi instead of letting the reader decide how to feel based off the facts at hand, like he's projecting his own interpretations of Zulfi's motivations and beliefs onto him, and using language that seems to assume a definitive understanding of his thoughts and feelings. Here is one example:
This one is about the agreement signed at Simla on 07/02/1972 between Indira Gandhi and Zulfi Bhutto on peace negotiations in Kashmir
So there's a couple of those moments where Wolpert puts one too many assumed words into Zulfi's mouth, but overall it was a well put biography of his personal life, woven together with the broader political landscape of Pakistan in the '60s and '70s.
Wolpert covers a lot, from Bhutto’s early years and Western education, to his working up the ranks with his relationships with Pakistani leaders like General Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan, to the terrible violence that led to the creation of Bangladesh and Zulfi's down and up relations with Mujib and the Awami League (not accepting the majority votes that Mujib got like...cmon man, you can understand racism and India underrepresenting Pakistani values but not this racism against Bengali's that West Pakistani's held?), to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, to the formation of the FSF, to the formation of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), to the creation of the 1973 Constitution that is still the rule of law in Pakistan's political system today, to his work to create a pan-Islamic alliance and a non-aligned Pakistan in the very US-Soviet polarized world of the 20th century, to Zulfi's multiple arrests and releases when Zia was playing his game of cat and mouse with him, then Zulfi's military trial and eventual hanging.
Later when Zulfi was prime minister, he had alliances with many political leaders I recognized from other readings as political figure heads of anti-imperialism in the 20th century. Zulfi had good relations with Gaddafi of Libya, Sukarno of Indonesia, Nasser of Egypt, Mao and Chou in China, Yasser Arafat of Palestine, Kim Il-sung of North Korea. But then he also had good relations with President Nixon in the US? His relations with the US worsened later in his life though, when he got suspicious that the CIA was meddling with the PNA and brewing resentment against him for not heeding Kissinger's warning to him to stop their development of Pakistan's nuclear reprocessing plant. But before that he was fine with his relations with Kissinger as well, respectfully called him "Dr. Kissinger". Actually relations with the Soviet Union weren't looking so good for Pakistan for a while, just because India got military support from them. And then that eventually changed a little bit, when relations with the US worsened for Pakistan? Reading all the diplomatic relations that are constantly changing never ceased to give me whiplash lol.
He was besties with King Faisal in Saudi, with King Hussein in Jordan and various other Sheikh and important Arab royalty and figureheads of the time too, which falls more under the "pan-Islamic movement Zulfi" than under "Socialist Zulfi" or "Non-Aligned Movement Zulfi". Which leads me to my opinions of "Socialist Zulfi"...
I guess part of Zulfi truly believed in a socialist cause? With him trying to implement it by nationalizing bigger Pakistani industries like steel and banks. But he was also a feudal lord, a Sindi wadero. A landlord! He came from a privileged, landowning elite that benefited from the very system of inequality he claimed to want to dismantle. It was so obviously hypocritical, a landlord implementing land reform for the peasants of Pakistan.
He would always go on about how his nationalization was meant to curb the power of the capitalist elite, and then his reluctance to fully implement land reforms or leave loopholes for them to be broken would preserve the power of the landed aristocracy...the capitalist elites (which he was a part of).
All this would leave peasants disillusioned while substantive changes never actually materialized.
So at the end of the day, it seemed like the "Socialist Zulfi" became a propagandist front to maintain power.
Though I did enjoy learning about Zulfi's life when he was younger. Haha, it was interesting to think of him going to Berkeley and being initiated into a fraternity by being left inside a potato sack. Like, Zulfi Bhutto was just this young brown frat boy in the late 1940s! Had a love-hate relationship with needing to learn Latin for university, lol. Always chasing after the ladies too, he didn't seem all that different from your average university fuck boy. Except he did not stop the lady chasing once he got older...poor Begum Nusrat :/
Many peoples reviews say Wolpert remained unbiased towards Zulfi, remaining impartial by not idolizing him or hating on him too much. I can agree with this to a certain extent- Zulfi's character comes through as a very contradicting and multifaceted man, just as he is often described.
The thing is, I think Wolpert respects the love that the masses in Pakistan had for Zulfi Bhutto, more so than any sort of genuine respect or liking he had for him as an individual. A lot of his direct opinion of Zulfi comes across as a psychoanalysis of his character, and within that there is a lot of poking fun at the man. Which is fine! He does not have to like him, I am not a Zulfi lover either. The problem I had is that a lot of the indirect jabs got too long-winded at times. During these times it was as if Wolpert was leading the reader to feel a certain way about Zulfi instead of letting the reader decide how to feel based off the facts at hand, like he's projecting his own interpretations of Zulfi's motivations and beliefs onto him, and using language that seems to assume a definitive understanding of his thoughts and feelings. Here is one example:
This one is about the agreement signed at Simla on 07/02/1972 between Indira Gandhi and Zulfi Bhutto on peace negotiations in Kashmir
"They knew Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, almost as well as he knew himself- at least in this regard, when it came to matters of Izzat, of Pakistan's sacred soil, of divinely ordained justice. Only benighted Hindus could believe that any true Pakistani Muslim leader worth his salt would surrender Kashmir or agree to a permanent "no-war pact" with them! The war would go on for a thousand years, as it had for the past thousand and more, since the first troop of Arab cavalry, led by Muhammad ibn Kasim, galloped across Sind and brought kafir Hindus and Buddhists to their knees, offering them only Islam or death."
So there's a couple of those moments where Wolpert puts one too many assumed words into Zulfi's mouth, but overall it was a well put biography of his personal life, woven together with the broader political landscape of Pakistan in the '60s and '70s.
Wolpert covers a lot, from Bhutto’s early years and Western education, to his working up the ranks with his relationships with Pakistani leaders like General Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan, to the terrible violence that led to the creation of Bangladesh and Zulfi's down and up relations with Mujib and the Awami League (not accepting the majority votes that Mujib got like...cmon man, you can understand racism and India underrepresenting Pakistani values but not this racism against Bengali's that West Pakistani's held?), to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, to the formation of the FSF, to the formation of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), to the creation of the 1973 Constitution that is still the rule of law in Pakistan's political system today, to his work to create a pan-Islamic alliance and a non-aligned Pakistan in the very US-Soviet polarized world of the 20th century, to Zulfi's multiple arrests and releases when Zia was playing his game of cat and mouse with him, then Zulfi's military trial and eventual hanging.
Later when Zulfi was prime minister, he had alliances with many political leaders I recognized from other readings as political figure heads of anti-imperialism in the 20th century. Zulfi had good relations with Gaddafi of Libya, Sukarno of Indonesia, Nasser of Egypt, Mao and Chou in China, Yasser Arafat of Palestine, Kim Il-sung of North Korea. But then he also had good relations with President Nixon in the US? His relations with the US worsened later in his life though, when he got suspicious that the CIA was meddling with the PNA and brewing resentment against him for not heeding Kissinger's warning to him to stop their development of Pakistan's nuclear reprocessing plant. But before that he was fine with his relations with Kissinger as well, respectfully called him "Dr. Kissinger". Actually relations with the Soviet Union weren't looking so good for Pakistan for a while, just because India got military support from them. And then that eventually changed a little bit, when relations with the US worsened for Pakistan? Reading all the diplomatic relations that are constantly changing never ceased to give me whiplash lol.
He was besties with King Faisal in Saudi, with King Hussein in Jordan and various other Sheikh and important Arab royalty and figureheads of the time too, which falls more under the "pan-Islamic movement Zulfi" than under "Socialist Zulfi" or "Non-Aligned Movement Zulfi". Which leads me to my opinions of "Socialist Zulfi"...
"Islam is our faith, democracy is our polity, socialism is our economy, and all power to the people."
I guess part of Zulfi truly believed in a socialist cause? With him trying to implement it by nationalizing bigger Pakistani industries like steel and banks. But he was also a feudal lord, a Sindi wadero. A landlord! He came from a privileged, landowning elite that benefited from the very system of inequality he claimed to want to dismantle. It was so obviously hypocritical, a landlord implementing land reform for the peasants of Pakistan.
He would always go on about how his nationalization was meant to curb the power of the capitalist elite, and then his reluctance to fully implement land reforms or leave loopholes for them to be broken would preserve the power of the landed aristocracy...the capitalist elites (which he was a part of).
All this would leave peasants disillusioned while substantive changes never actually materialized.
So at the end of the day, it seemed like the "Socialist Zulfi" became a propagandist front to maintain power.
May 5, 2025
Wolpert presents a nuanced account of Pakitan's most charismatic leader. Bhutto was the ultimate politician, never troubled by his own contradictions; a lecherous womaniser and a passionate promoter of Islamic ideals, an eloquent ambassador of democracy who had his opponents killed, the paradoxes offered by mercurial nature are many. Through his entrancing rhetoric, Bhutto commanded the adoration of millions, yet his ill-concieved idea of nationalisation led to Pakistan's economic decline, and eventually his own. Governing Pakistan like a feudal landlord, he failed to see the consequences of his decisions. The most fatal being the elevation of Zia-ul-Haq, the General who would end up murdering him. Wolpert never makes clear why Zia wanted Bhutto dead; was it the way Bhutto insulted him in public, or was it his distate for his proclivities? Bhutto's final letter to Zia was full of defiance and threats, revealing that despite his sense of liberalism, his feudal instincts always got the better of him.
April 23, 2022
This book is a classical example of a fantastic storyline, an extremely interesting character, a very intriguing set up in a fascinating country, written by an extremely knowledgeable writer, but a completely disastrous writing outcome.
It is a test case of how a book should not be written.
There is no doubt that the writer has immense knowledge of the book but the way the book had been structured in a poor way. The book has been written in a chronological series, which does not do justice to the topic. The worst part is that a whole lot of stuff which could have been in the references has been put in the main body of the book which makes the whole reading experience very annoying. There has been literally cut and paste jobs which is probably 50% of the bulk of the book. Except for academic research, there has been no analysis and deep work done on the main character.
Though I completed the whole 416 pages of book of a fascinating character, it still was just underwhelming experience
It is a test case of how a book should not be written.
There is no doubt that the writer has immense knowledge of the book but the way the book had been structured in a poor way. The book has been written in a chronological series, which does not do justice to the topic. The worst part is that a whole lot of stuff which could have been in the references has been put in the main body of the book which makes the whole reading experience very annoying. There has been literally cut and paste jobs which is probably 50% of the bulk of the book. Except for academic research, there has been no analysis and deep work done on the main character.
Though I completed the whole 416 pages of book of a fascinating character, it still was just underwhelming experience
March 30, 2021
He was Bhutto and Zulfiqar . A politician and a wadera . His downfall was his split personality . One can’t control internal politics with foreign policy for ever. An opportunist , a devotee , a player he had all the qualities to rule the heart of millions which he does still .
Politics is the soul of life. It’s my eternal romance with the people. Only people can break this eternal bond (ZA BHUTOO)
Very true his romance lives on and the rest we all know .
Politics is the soul of life. It’s my eternal romance with the people. Only people can break this eternal bond (ZA BHUTOO)
Very true his romance lives on and the rest we all know .
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