KARACHI: The Government of Sindh has announced a public holiday on April 4 to mark the death anniversary of former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
According to an official notification issued on Monday, all government offices, autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies, corporations and local councils under the administrative control of the provincial government will remain closed on the day, except those engaged in essential services.
Bhutto, the only son of Shah Nawaz Bhutto, was executed on April 4, 1979.
Born on January 5, 1928, Bhutto received his early education at Cathedral High School in Bombay. He later pursued higher studies at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with honours in Political Science in 1950.
He subsequently attended the University of Oxford and was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1953.
Upon returning to Pakistan, Bhutto began his legal career before entering politics in 1958, joining the cabinet of Iskander Mirza as commerce minister. He later served as foreign minister under Ayub Khan and played a key role in shaping Pakistan’s foreign policy.
Bhutto founded the PPP on November 30, 1967, and later served as prime minister, during which he initiated Pakistan’s nuclear programme and oversaw the unanimous passage of the Constitution of 1973.
