1924-1988. Pakistani general, in power from
1977 until his death, probably an
assassination, in an aircraft explosion. He
became army chief of staff 1976, led the
military coup against Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
1977, and became president 1978. Zia
introduced a fundamentalist Islamic regime
and restricted political activity. Zia was a
career soldier from a middle-class Punjabi
Muslim family. As army chief of staff, his
opposition to the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan 1979 drew support from the USA,
but his refusal to commute the death sentence
imposed on Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was widely
condemned. He lifted martial law 1985. The US
Central Intelligence Agency is widely
rumoured to have engineered his death.