Pakistan's history is incomplete without discussing Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who paid an important role in picking up the pieces in rebuilding Pakistan which the successive military junta dismembered in 1971. Simply, it was beyond the capability of the defeated army and its Generals to rebuild Pakistan on a more solid democratic foundation.
The hatred against the military generals was at its height at the time of dismemberment of Pakistan and the broad masses were on the verge of lynching the Generals for their crimes against humanity and also dismembering Pakistan. Transfer of power to the chosen representatives of the people was the only solution for saving the remnants of Pakistan, rather it was compulsion for the ruling military junta to surrender power.
General Yahya Khan who presided over the dismemberment of Pakistan was dislodged from the Presidency by the Army generals before power was transferred to the chosen representatives of the people. Consequently, the PPP being the majority party had formed the Government at the Center and also in the provinces of Sindh and the Punjab, the two most populous Provinces of Pakistan. The first job of the new and people's Government was to restore full confidence of the people following the debacle. No other Politician at that time got the capability to unite the people and the provinces in defending Pakistan and its integrity.
Thus it was the biggest name of the time Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He played the destined role of retaining unity and integrity of Pakistan. It is a singular hounour and not shared by anyone. The nation still gives this credit to Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Even his diehard political opponents gave this credit to late Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. What he did for Pakistan and for its people? He was the first politician who made peace ending the state of was with India ensuring solidarity and integrity of whatever remaining parts of Pakistan. It is a known and historic fact that late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wanted to destroy whole of Pakistan by retaining the state of was for a prolonged period.
However, it was the wisdom of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhyutto who frustrated the evil designs of Mrs Indira Gandhi in occupying the remaining parts of West Pakistan. Rather she was forced to vacate the occupied land in the Sindh desert region. It was the declaration of peace and an end of hostilities that saved present parts of Pakistan from Indian occupation. The second bold step was formal recognition of Muslim Bengal as newly establishment state of Bangladesh Paving the way for releasing and bringing back over 90,000 prisoners of war.
It was also a known fact that both late Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and Mrs Indira Gandhi Joined hands and tried to further humiliate Pakistan by trying the PoWs for allegedly committing was crimes against the people of Bangladesh. It was late Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his deep political wisdom that frustrated the designs of India and Bangladesh to try the PoWs for was crimes.
Ultimately, they returned home with honour and dignity and he also concluded a peace with India in the shape of Simla Agreement. When Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto succeeded in retaining and consolidating peace in the region, he concentrated on two issues - rebuilding the national economy and framing a new and democratic constitution ensuring reasonable provincial autonomy. On the economic front, he made serious inroads in the field of international diplomacy and won friendship of late Shah of Iran, King of Saud, Leader of Libya besides goodwill from other countries, including UAE.
All the three personal friends of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came to full the financial help of Pakistan saving its economy for complete collapse. He procured cash - hard cash - from Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Libya and saved the economy of Pakistan from being collapsed completely. It was no allegation of Pakistan by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto from his personal friends. There was no allegation of financial corruption against Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto at any stage of his politics. Strong state relations with these countries developed at the latter stages of Pakistani history.
Initially, it was the towering personality of late Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who build the relations in support of Pakistan and its people. Ultimate, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was instrumental in exporting manpower in tens of thousands to all these three countries - Libya, UAE and Saudi Arabia. In one go, more than 50,000 poor and hard working peasants from Sindh and Southern Punjab were dispatched to Saudi Arab to improve the agrarian economy of Saudi Arabia which was flourishing on petro-dollar only. Now Saudi Arabia is self sufficient in food production - thanks to the Sindhi Haris building the agriculture sector in a big way.
Finally, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto concentrated on constitution-making and he sought help from his friend in politics. Obviously, the first name was late Ghous Bakhsh Bizenjo who played an important role in giving provincial autonomy a proper shape in the 1973 Constitution, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Bizenjo concluded a constitutional accord in their marathon talks on constitution making and both the leaders agreed. Late Ajmal Khattak was on board as nominee of Wali Khan in the constitutional accords between the NAP and PPP.
However, late Abdul Wali Khan backed out form the accords for unknown and unexplained reasons pushing late Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to rely more on religious parties and rightist elements that distorted the democratic shape of Constitution and included all the Islamic clauses or Islamize the constitution in the present shape. Both Wali Khan and Bizenjo finally voted for the Constitution of Pakistan on the floor of the National Assembly and unfortunately without their point of view accommodated. It was the serious set full support from all back for the NAP and victory for Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who mustered shades of political opinion.
It was the second round of military dictatorship which disfigured and distorted the 1973 Constitution in the interest of their highly personalized rule over the country. In any case, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his PPP was the first Government under representative democracy in Pakistan as the first 11 years of Pakistan was under British trained ICS officers' rule under the leadership of Malik Ghulam Mohammad and Iskandar Mirza and two military dictators Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan, Two military dictators - General Ziaul Haq and General Pervez Musharraf ruled Pakistan for two decades in post-Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto period.