A major new investigation into the Bhutto family, examining their influence in Pakistan from the colonial era to the present day "Students of geopolitics and South Asia will find this a valuable book."-Kirkus Reviews"Fluently written, impeccably researched and never short of extraordinary insights, this is a landmark publication."-Farzana Shaikh, Literary Review The Bhutto family has long been one of the most ambitious and powerful in Pakistan. But politics has cost the Bhuttos dear. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, widely regarded as the most talented politician in the country's history, was removed from power in 1977 and executed two years later, at the age of 51. Of his four children, three met unnatural deaths: Shahnawaz was poisoned in 1985 at the age of 27; Murtaza was shot by the police outside his home in 1996, aged 42; and Benazir Bhutto, who led the Pakistan Peoples Party and became Prime Minister twice, was killed by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi in 2007, aged 54. Drawing on original research and unpublished documents gathered over twenty years, Owen Bennett-Jones explores the turbulent existence of this extraordinary family, including their volatile relationship with British colonialists, the Pakistani armed forces, and the United States.

A fascinating look at Pakistan's past, an inside account of its recent history, and a knowledgeable assessment of its future options This thoroughly revised and updated edition of Bennett Jones' market-leading account of this critical modern state includes fresh material on the Taliban insurgency, the Musharraf years, the return and subsequent assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and the unlikely election as president of Asif Ali Zardari. Praise for the first edition "The world has a stake in what happens in Pakistan. How great a stake, this book makes compellingly clear."-Robert M. Hathaway, Wilson Quarterly "[A] lucid and sobering examination. . . . Owen Bennett Jones has delivered a well-crafted, clear, balanced and often quite lively account that should be immensely useful."-Thomas W. Lippman, Washington Post Book World Owen Bennett Jones was BBC correspondent in Pakistan and is now correspondent in Asia for the BBC World Service. He has written for the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Independent, the London Review of Books, and Prospect magazine.