ISLAMABAD -UNS: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) affirms that the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was not allowed the opportunity of fair trial in the infamous murder case.
A nine-member bench, in a unanimous decision, declared that injustice was done as Bhutto was denied a fair trial opportunity. It’s a violation of law and constitution.
The court announced the reserved verdict on the presidential reference against the judicial murder of PPP chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on Wednesday.
The apex court has issued notices to all parties in the case for the declaration of the verdict in the presidential reference.
Earlier on Monday, the nine-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa, concluded the judicial reference of the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case and reserved the verdict.
While talking to the media, Pakistan Peoples’ Party leader Sherry Rehman mentioned that the interviews were telecasted in the court, and the judicial assistants had paid attention to the trial of the case.
She also affirmed that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was murdered for nefarious motives through conspiracy, as proved during the hearing of the presidential reference.
PPP’s leader asserted that they were hopeful for a fair judgment, and the judicial verdict would set an example of a fair justice system to the world.
The Supreme Court started hearing the reference on Dec 12 last year which was filed against the conviction, sentencing and hanging of Bhutto – the PPP founding chairman and the first democratically-elected prime minister of Pakistan.
It was the then president Asif Ali Zardari who had moved the country’s top court on April 2, 2011, through a presidential reference under Article 186 of the Constitution to seek its opinion on revisiting the trial which had culminated with the hanging of Bhutto on April 4, 1979.
Bhutto was removed after a military coup led by the then army chief Ziaul Haq on July 5, 1977, which followed a months-long agitation, as the PNA – Pakistan National Alliance – disputed the results of rigged elections earlier that year in March.
