Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was born to a Punjabi family in Jalandhar, Punjab State of India. He received a BA in history of University of Delhi. He joined the British army in 1943. He fought the Japanese in Burma. After independence he became a captain in the Pakistanian army. He advanced rapidly in the army.

He became Army Chief of Staff in 1976 and engineered the overthrow of Ali Bhutto's government in 1979.
He imposed martial law and imposed Islamic penal laws. In 1985, a referendum showed overwhelming support for his government. As a result, he loosened martial law and allowed opposition parties. In 1988, he was killed in a mysterious plane carsh.

Bibliography:

Burki, Shahid Javed. Pakistan Under the Military : Eleven Years of Zia Ul-Haq . 1991. Westview Press.