Death and state funeral of Zia-ul-Haq

General Zia-ul-Haq, the sixth president of Pakistan, died in an aircraft crash on 17 August 1988 in Bahawalpur near the Sutlej River. Along with him, several important people lost their lives, including his close friend Akhtar Abdur Rahman, a diplomat named Arnold Lewis Raphel, and many others.

The news of Zia's passing was shared by Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who was the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan. He then became the new president of the country.

A large gathering took place for Zia's funeral at the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. It is said that about a million people came to show their respect.

Background

On 17 August 1988, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and his team went to Bahawalpur. They met with two American Christian missionaries at a local convent to show support after an American nun had passed away a few days earlier. They also stopped at the Tamewali Test Range.

Later, President Zia and his group watched a live fire demonstration of the U.S. Army’s M1 Abrams tank. The event was led by Major-General Mahmud Ali Durrani, who was in charge of the 1st Armoured Division of the Armoured Corps. The M1 Abrams tank was planned to become part of the Pakistan Army.

Aircraft crash

On August 17, 1988, a plane carrying General Zia-ul-Haq took off from Bahawalpur Airport. The plane, a C-130, had 30 people on board, including Zia, the United States Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Raphel, and other important military officers.

The plane flew for a short time before it suddenly lost contact with the control tower and crashed into the ground. Everyone on board was killed in the accident. Many investigations tried to find out why the crash happened, but no clear reason was ever discovered.

Investigation

When General Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash, investigators from the United States Air Force helped look into what happened. But the United States and Pakistan had different ideas about why the crash occurred, which caused some disagreement.

The United States thought the crash might have been caused by a common problem with the type of plane Zia was flying, called a C-130. They said that similar problems had happened before, and that the plane’s controls might not have worked well because of this issue.

Pakistan, however, looked closely at the plane and found some unusual things. They thought it might have been sabotaged, or deliberately damaged, even though they did not find clear proof of an explosion. They mentioned that some chemicals that could be used in small explosives were found, making them wonder if someone had done something to stop the pilots from controlling the plane.

A writer named Mohammed Hanif later tried to find out more about what happened but found it very difficult to get answers from anyone involved.

Theories

Many people have wondered about the cause of President Zia-ul-Haq's plane crash in 1988. Some thought other countries might have been involved, while others blamed leaders within Pakistan.

One idea was that the Soviet Union might have played a role because a key military leader who fought against them was on the plane. Others believed a foreign power, possibly the United States, was responsible because the American diplomat joined the flight last minute. Some even thought leaders in the Pakistan Army were unhappy with Zia. There were also suggestions that a group opposed to Zia, led by a political figure’s brother, might have been involved. One former U.S. ambassador thought an intelligence agency from another country might have been responsible, but he had no proof.

Aftermath

The Government of Pakistan announced that a state funeral would take place for Zia-ul-Haq. He was buried with military honors in a special white marble tomb next to the Shah Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. The funeral happened on August 19, 1988, and many important leaders from around the world attended, including presidents from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iran, India, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

The ceremony included a special military salute with 21 guns fired. Many people gathered to honor Zia-ul-Haq, and he was laid to rest in a grave in front of the Faisal Mosque. After his death, elections were held in 1988, and Benazir Bhutto became the prime minister.