Bhutto’s personal barber whose shop was vandalized in Larkana

‘There were 50, 60 files lying on the stools on either side of Bhutto Sahib’s chair, which he used to read and sign while getting his hair done.’

This was said by Anwar Ali Khokhar, the barber of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party, who was the personal barber of the Bhutto family in the 60s and 70s.

In an interview with Independent Urdu, 81-year-old Anwar Ali Khokhar, a resident of Larkana, recalled the events of the 1960s and said: ‘I used to cut Bhutto Sahib’s hair and he would get lost in the files without being noticed. He was a very hardworking person.’

According to Anwar Ali Khokhar: ‘Bhutto used to sign the files while checking the files. I never disturb them while doing hair.

‘If they turned their head to the right, I would do hair on the left side, and if they turned their head to the left, I would do hair on the right side, and if they turned their head down, I would do hair on the back of the head.’

He first cut Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s hair in the 60s when he was the country’s foreign minister, while Anwar Ali was officially named the head of state’s barber after becoming president.

‘After that I was Bhutto’s personal barber and I did his hair till he was hanged.’

Anwar Ali Khokhar has been the personal barber not only of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but of the entire Bhutto family.

‘I was their family barber. Apart from Bhutto, I have done the hair of various family members including Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto.

Anwar Ali Khokhar recalled: ‘Whenever Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came to Larkana, he (the barber) was issued a pass (permission) to enter Bhutto’s residence by which he could enter any time of the day or night. Could have come home in time.

‘Many times Bhutto called me at four in the morning to do my hair in an emergency.’

In response to a question about the remuneration for haircuts, Anwar Ali Khokhar said that in the 1970s, Bhutto used to get 200 rupees for a haircut once, which was paid to him by house servant Nazar Mohammad Laghari.

According to Anwar Ali Khokhar Bhutto, he was once given a check of two thousand rupees.

While narrating the story of the check, he said that his shop at Bandar Road was vandalized in 1975 during the widening of the roads of Larkana city on the orders of Bhutto.

A few days later, I went to Bhutto’s open office and told him that my shop had been demolished, whereupon he directed the Larkana Municipal Committee to set up a shop for me elsewhere. I was later given a new shop near State Life Building.

After some time, Bhutto sent me a check of two thousand rupees to buy equipment for the new shop. But instead of buying shop goods, I took my children to Karachi and spent the money there.’

Join Independent Urdu’s WhatsApp channel for authentic news and current affairs analysis Here Click