On April 4, 1979, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged at 2 am in the Central Jail of Rawalpindi.
She was imprisoned in a seven by ten feet cell in the women’s section of the Rawalpindi Jail.
Bhutto was given a bed, mattress, small table, and a bookshelf. There was a small closet next door where a prisoner cooked for them.
Every ten days, that prisoner was changed so that he would not get acquainted with Bhutto. Sometimes Bhutto’s friend and famous dentist, Dr. Niazi would send food for him.
Author Salman Taseer, who wrote a book on Bhutto’s life, who was later assassinated, writes in his book ‘Bhutto’, ‘In the early days, when Bhutto went to the toilet, a security guard used to monitor him there as well. Bhutto disliked this so much that he almost stopped eating so that he would not have to go to the toilet. After a few days such strict surveillance was stopped and a separate toilet was constructed for them outside the cell.
Bhutto was free to study inside the jail. In the last days, he was studying Charles Miller’s ‘Khyber’, Richard Nixon’s biography, Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘Discovery of India’ and Siddique Salekh’s ‘Witness to Surrender’.
Punjab government executioner Tara Masih was called from Lahore to execute Bhutto. His work was a back-breaking profession. His family had been doing executions since the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
At that time, Masih’s salary was Rs 375 per month and he got an extra Rs 10 for each execution.
While in jail, Bhutto was constantly suffering from pain in his gums. There was also a backlash among them.
Bhutto felt that he could not be hanged
Once inside the jail, when Dr. Niazi was examining his teeth by the light of a lantern, Bhutto joked with him, ‘You are also unfortunate like me, there is a beautiful girl helping you in your clinic and here. Got a prisoner to help.’
Benazir Bhutto was lying in her bed on the morning of April 2, 1979, when suddenly her mother Nusrat Bhutto entered the room saying ‘Pinky, the soldiers outside the house are telling us both to meet your father today. Have to go, what does that mean?’
“I knew what that meant,” writes Benazir in her autobiography, Daughter of the East. My mother also knew. But both of us could not accept it. It only meant that Zia-ul-Haq was ready to kill my father.
Nusrat and Benazir Bhutto were brought to Rawalpindi Jail in a Chevrolet car. After the search, he was taken before Bhutto. A distance of five feet was kept between them.
Benazir writes, ‘My father asked how much time has been given to him to meet his family. The answer came in half an hour. My father said but according to the jail rules one hour is given to meet the family before the execution but the official replied that I have received the same instructions that you will be given only half an hour. He was sitting on a mattress on the floor as the table, chair and bed had been removed from his room.
Benazir further writes, ‘They returned the books and magazines I had brought to me.’
‘My father told me that I don’t want those people to touch him after I die. He also returned some cigars given to me by his lawyer. He was saying that I have saved a cigar for the evening. He also kept a bottle of Shalamyar cologne with him. He was giving me his wedding ring, but my mother stopped him. On this, he said, ‘Now I wear it, but later it should be given to Benazir.’
After a while, the jailer came and said that the appointment was over.
Benazir said to open the cell, “I want to hug my father, but the jailer did not allow it.”
Benazir further writes ‘I said, please my father is the elected Prime Minister of Pakistan and I am his daughter. This is my last meeting and I have the right to hug them but the jailer flatly refused. I said good bye papa. My mother reached between the bars and touched my father’s hand. We both quickly went outside. I wanted to look back but my courage answered.
Jail Superintendent Yar Muhammad read out the black warrant to him which he listened to silently.
Bhutto called the guard standing outside the cell and asked the Deputy Superintendent to hand over my watch to him after death.
At five minutes past eight, Bhutto asked his helper Abdul Rahman to bring coffee. He said to Rehman that if I have misbehaved with you, forgive me for it.
After his mercy plea was rejected by the Supreme Court, his razor was taken back to prevent him from committing suicide.
Salman Taseer writes ‘Bhutto said, I should be allowed to grow a beard, I don’t want to leave this world like a Maulvi.’
At 9:55 they brushed their teeth, washed their faces, and did their hair. After that they went to sleep. He was picked up at half past midnight. He was wearing a light almond colored shalwar kameez. Jail officials did not insist on changing clothes.
When the security personnel tried to tie their hands behind their backs, they resisted.
Finally, they forcibly tied their hands with a rope. They were then placed on a stretcher and carried for a distance of about 40 yards.
Salman Taseer further writes ‘After that, Bhutto himself got down from the scaffold and walked himself to the gallows. The executioner covered his face with a black cloth. His feet were tied. As Magistrate Bashir Ahmed Khan signaled at two past four, executioner Tara Masih pulled the lever. Bhutto’s last words were ‘Finish it’.
35 minutes later, Bhutto’s dead body was placed on a stretcher.
Colonel Rafiuddin, who was an undercover officer in Rawalpindi Central Jail at that time, writes in his book ‘Bhutto’s Last 223 Days’, ‘After a while, a photographer from an intelligence agency came and took pictures of Bhutto’s private parts. The government wanted to confirm whether Bhutto had been circumcised in the Islamic way or not. After taking down the photos, there was no doubt that Bhutto was circumcised.
Shyam Bhatia later wrote in his book ‘Goodbye Princess’ that Benazir herself told him that Bhutto had to go through this humiliation even after his death.
Benazir writes in her autobiography, “Despite Mimi’s sleeping pills, my eyes opened at exactly two o’clock and I screamed loudly.” Nine. Nine. I was holding my breath. As if someone has put a noose around my neck. Papa, Papa That was all that came out of my mouth. Despite the intense heat, my whole body was shivering.
After a few hours, the Assistant Jailor of the Central Jail went to the house where Nusrat and Benazir Bhutto were detained.
Benazir’s first words upon meeting him were ‘We are ready to walk with the Prime Minister.’
The jailer’s reply was ‘They have been taken away for burial.’
Benazir writes, ‘I felt as if someone had punched me. I shouted, “How can you take them for burial without their families?”
After that, the jailer handed over one of Bhutto’s items to Benazir.
Benazir writes, “He gave me Papa’s shalwar kameez, which Papa was wearing before he died.” It still smelled of Shalamyar cologne. Then he gave a tiffin box in which food was being sent to him for last ten days which he was not eating. He also gave me his bed and cup of tea. I asked where is his ring? The jailer asked if he had a ring. Then he pretended to find the ring in the swing and then held the ring to me. That jailer was saying over and over that his afterlife was very peaceful.’I wondered if execution could ever be peaceful.
As soon as Benazir’s family servant Bashir’s eyes fell on Bhutto’s shalwar kameez, he began shouting. Ya Allah, Ya Allah, they killed our Sahib.