Hudood Ordinances
Zia promulgates the Hudood Ordinances as part of his Islamization programme.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1979 in Pakistan
Explore 16 historical events and records for Pakistan in 1979.
Historical records for Pakistan in 1979
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 16 of 16 unique records.
16Unique records
1 of 1Page
11Named events on this page
7Named people on this page
3Places on this page
February
April
Arrest of Benazir Bhutto
Bhutto, who had returned to Pakistan after completing her studies, is placed under house arrest in the wake of her fathers imprisonment and subsequent execution
Death of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
Bhutto dies by hanging at Rawalpindi Central Jail.
Execution
Despite the accusation being "widely doubted by the public" and despite many clemency appeals from foreign leaders, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is hanged. Bhutto, who had returned to Pakistan after completing her studies, is placed under house arrest in the wake of her fathers imprisonment and subsequent execution
Execution
The execution of the former Prime Minister provokes lasting political controversy.
Execution
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is executed after conviction in a disputed murder case.
Islamic Penal Code
The Islamic penal code is introduced; Bhutto hanged
Islamization and Execution
Bhutto's execution occurs while Zia's government expands Islamic criminal legislation.
December
Higgs Boson
Shares the Nobel Prize in Physics for electroweak unification, the theory whose massive weak bosons depend on spontaneous gauge-symmetry breaking.
Nobel Prize
Shares the Nobel Prize in Physics with Sheldon Glashow and Steven Weinberg for contributions to unified weak and electromagnetic interactions.
Execution
The Islamic penal code is introduced; Bhutto hanged
Invasion of Afghanistan
Zia-ul-Haq aligns Pakistan with efforts supporting Afghan resistance after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Islamic Penal Code
The Islamic penal code is introduced; Bhutto hanged
Federal Shariat Court Proposal
Zia's government advances judicial institutions for reviewing laws under Islamic principles.
Other events (month unknown)
ISI Leadership
Akhtar Abdur Rahman becomes Director General of the ISI as the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan transforms Pakistan's security environment.
Islamic Penal Code
Zia-ul-Haq's government expands its programme of Islamisation while Pakistan faces the regional consequences of the Afghan war.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.