Major Zulfikar Character Analysis in Midnight’s Children

Initially Brigadier Dodson’s A.D.C. (an official assistant to a high-ranking military officer), Zulfikar falsely suspects Nadir Khan of involvement in the Hummingbird’s assassination. Zulfikar falls in love with Aadam Aziz’s daughter, Emerald, and promises not to press charges on Aadam for harboring Nadir if he agrees to allow him to marry her. Zulfikar and Emerald are married and move to Pakistan after India’s independence, where he later becomes a major in the Pakistani Army and is instrumental in a coup to overthrow the Pakistani government. Zulfikar serves as a stand-in father to his nephew Saleem Sinai, before being murdered by his own son, Zafar, a young man who repeatedly wets his pants growing up and is generally rejected by his father.

Major Zulfikar Character Timeline in Midnight’s Children

The timeline below shows where the character Major Zulfikar appears in Midnight’s Children. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...to identify the assassins, or their pay-masters. Aadam is summoned to the university by Major Zulfikar, Brigadier Dodson’s A.D.C., to write the Hummingbird’s death certificate, and when he is through he... (full context)

Major Zulfikar comes to call on Aadam to “tie up a few loose ends.” He is suspicious... (full context)

...night to spy on them and learns that Emerald has fallen in love with Major Zulfikar. When she invades Mumtaz’s dreams, however, Reverend Mother finds that her daughter has fallen in... (full context)

...she yells, Emerald suddenly stands up and runs out of the door, directly to Major Zulfikar’s office, and tells him that Nadir is living in her father’s basement. Zulfikar is still... (full context)

Major Zulfikar finds the basement empty, and the only trace of Nadir is a letter left for... (full context)

Major Zulfikar agrees not to press charges on Aadam for harboring Nadir if he agrees to allow... (full context)

In January 1946, Zulfikar and Emerald are married, and at the wedding, Ahmed falls in love with a very... (full context)

British Colonialism and Postcolonialism Theme Icon

...military jackets, and instead of moving to the future country of Pakistan with Emerald and Zulfikar, he has decided to go to Bombay, where according to his close friend, Dr. Narlikar,... (full context)

...and she encourages them all to move to Pakistan. Emerald has already moved there with Zulfikar, along with Alia as well, who is teaching at a Pakistani school. (full context)

...Amina, Saleem, and the Brass Monkey begin to travel back to Pakistan with Emerald and Zulfikar. As Amina leaves, all the servants quit, except for Alice Pereira, who stays behind to... (full context)

They arrive in Rawalpindi aboard the SS Sabarmati and go directly to Emerald and Zulfikar’s large and impressive mansion, which is surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Zulfikar frequently... (full context)

Saleem and the Brass Monkey go to school with Emerald and Zulfikar’s son, Zafar, an unpleasant boy who wets the bed and has a crush on the... (full context)

...“I am assuming control of the State.” In that moment, Saleem and Zafar realize that Zulfikar and his dinner guests are planning a coup of the Pakistani government, and Zafar immediately... (full context)

Sitting next to Zulfikar, Saleem “created a new father for himself,” and as Zulfikar directed him and described the... (full context)

At midnight on November 1, Zulfikar wakes Saleem from a sound sleep, whispering, “Come on, sonny, it’s time you got a... (full context)

Zulfikar drives the man to a military airfield and places him on a plane. As the... (full context)

...arrives at aunt Alia’s to hear Jamila sing. He has heard about her from General Zulfikar, and he hopes to make her famous. Ahmed agrees, and within six months, Jamila is... (full context)

...of Kif, a prince, or Nawab, arranges the marriage of his daughter to Zafar, General Zulfikar’s son. Jamila Singer performs at their engagement party, where the Nawab’s son, Mutasim, falls in... (full context)

...are not actually ghosts. Instead, the men are smugglers, operating under the direction of General Zulfikar. (full context)

...returning from the Rann of Kutch, Zafar arrives at his father’s home in Rawalpindi. Blaming Zulfikar for his awful experiences in the territory, Zafar slips into his father’s room and murders... (full context)