ISLAMABAD :- On the morning of April 2, 1979, Benazir Bhutto risked everything to save her father, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, from the gallows. In a desperate move detailed in her autobiography, Daughter of the East, Benazir smuggled a secret note out of the Sihala Police Training Camp, hoping an international media outcry via the BBC would halt the military regime's execution orders.

The Secret Message: A Race Against Time

While under house arrest with her mother, Nusrat Bhutto, Benazir realized their time had run out when guards summoned them for an unscheduled meeting. Suspecting this was the "last meeting," Benazir feigned illness to buy time and penned a frantic note to a friend named Yasmin.

The mission relied on a loyal servant, Ibrahim, who bypassed military guards by claiming he was fetching medicine for "Pinky" Benazir’s childhood nickname. By 8:15 PM that night, the BBC broadcasted the report: "Benazir Bhutto has sent a message from captivity... she has been called for a final meeting with her father."

"Just Hours, Sir": Inside the Death Cell

While Benazir hoped for a public uprising, the atmosphere inside Rawalpindi Central Jail was grim. According to Colonel (R) Rafiuddin, the Special Security Superintendent at the time, Bhutto remained composed until the very end.

In his memoir, Bhutto’s Last 323 Days, Rafiuddin recalls the moment the gravity of the situation hit the former premier:

• The Shock: Bhutto initially asked if the execution was "seven days" away.

• The Reality: Rafiuddin whispered, "No sir, seven hours."

• The Final Words: A stunned Bhutto could only mutter, "Rafi, that’s it? It’s over?"

At exactly 2:04 AM on April 4, 1979, the lever was pulled, ending the life of one of Pakistan's most polarizing and populist leaders.

General Zia’s Controversial Final Prayer

Perhaps the most surreal moment of the tragedy occurred miles away from the gallows. Saied Mehdi, then Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi, records in The Eye Witness a chilling account from General Zia-ul-Haq’s motorcade that morning.

While driving past the jail at 8:40 AM, Zia-ul-Haq who had reportedly been pressuring judges for a death sentence asked if Bhutto had been buried yet. Despite orchestrating the coup, Zia insisted on performing Dua-e-Fateha (prayers for the deceased). The scene was so tense that even the military driver released the steering wheel to raise his hands in prayer, forcing an aide to intervene to prevent a crash.

A Judicial Legacy Re-examined

The execution remains a dark stain on Pakistan's judicial history. It took nearly 45 years for the Supreme Court of Pakistan to finally acknowledge that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not receive a fair trial, validating the lifelong claims of Benazir Bhutto that her father’s death was a "judicial murder."