(1928–1979), Pakistani political figure. As foreign minister of Pakistan from 1963 to 1966, Bhutto established an alliance with China in 1963 and encouraged President Ayub Khan (1907–1974) to wage war against India in 1965. Soon after Ayub Khan's defeat he parted company with him and then started the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in 1967. His rhetoric was vaguely leftist, and in 1965 he became critical of the American alliance, which had not been of much use to Pakistan. In the elections of 1971, the PPP got a majority of seats in West Pakistan andnone in East Pakistan. It was thus in Bhutto's interest to hasten the secession of Bangladesh, which he nevertheless publicly deplored.
He then became president of Pakistan. In 1972 he signed the Simla Agreement with India, conceding that future conflicts would have to be settled bilaterally. The election of 1977, which he won, was probably rigged. The unrest that followed prompted General Zia ul-Haq to stage a military coup. He deposed and arrested Bhutto, accused him of murder, and had him executed in prison in 1979.
Bhutto representing Pakistan at the United Nations in December 1971 during a discussion of a cease-fire with India. (BETTMANN/CORBIS)
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