Death and state funeral of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1924–1988)
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| Date | August 19, 1988 |
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| Location | Tomb of Zia-ul-Haq in Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Participants | George P. Shultz, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, officials from the US Embassy in Islamabad, chiefs of staff of armed forces, chairman joint chiefs and other high civic-military officials, and other Western world leaders |
| Outcome | Military investigation and Pakistan's subsequent return to parliamentary democracy. |
The state funeral of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was held on 19 August 1988 in Shah Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan. General Zia-ul-Haq was the President of Pakistan and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at the time of his death and died in a mysterious C-130 Hercules plane crash on 17 August 1988. Several conspiracy theories exist regarding this incident, as other high-profile civilian and military personnel also died in the crash including the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Akhtar Abdur Rehman and the United States Ambassador to Pakistan, Arnold Lewis Raphel.
Zia's death was officially announced by Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, Ghulam Ishaq Khan simultaneously via Pakistani radio and television on 17 August 1988. Zia-ul-Haq was given a state funeral and buried in a specially crafted white marble tomb, adjacent to Shah Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. Khan, Zia's successor as president, also managed Zia-ul-Haq's funeral.
The funeral was attended by key American politicians, U.S. Embassy staff in Islamabad, key personnel of the Pakistan Armed Forces, and chiefs of staff of the Pakistani Army, Navy, Air Force and 30 heads of state, including the presidents of China, Bangladesh, Iran, Turkey, India, the Aga Khan, representatives of the crowned heads of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.
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