Planning

When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was laid to rest here in 1979, the site was just an ancestral family graveyard dating back to before the British Raj. In 1993, Benazir Bhutto, the-then Prime Minister of Pakistan, approved plans to construct a 56,000-square-foot building at the burial ground. In March 1994, the Government of Sindh approved the construction of a mausoleum which was estimated to cost $9.4 million,^[6] while the Karachi Development Authority was to execute it. The total cost was to be equally borne by the federal and the Sindh governments.^[7]

The start of the construction was delayed after it was revealed that around 90% of the project site was occupied by the residents of Garhi Khuda Bakhsh. In November 1995, the site was evacuated, but design changes and complications resulted in an increase in the project cost.

First phase

Khursheed Junejo, former nazim of Larkana, oversaw its construction. A competition to select the best design was held after that. The first phase of construction spanned from 1993 to 1997, with the project being led by architect Zaigham Jaffery.^[8] The National Construction Company was awarded a contract for the construction in September 1994.He visited Ruhollah Khomeini and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's mazars to seek inspiration, and also tried to incorporate elements from the Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.^[8] The construction paused for about six years after that, since Benazir Bhutto wanted to incorporate a design more in line with Islamic architecture.

Second phase

Construction resumed in 2003, after another competition was held to select a new design. The revised design, by Waqar Akbar Rizvi, included five domes and four iwans like the Taj Mahal. The building is covered with white marble.^[9] Glazed tiles inscribed with calligraphy and fresco work and based on Sindhi Hala patterns have been used.