F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD : The Supreme Court of Pakistan has resumed hearing on a presidential reference seeking to revisit the death of former prime minister and PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto after a long gap of 11 years.
A nine-judge larger bench of the apex court commenced on Tuesday the long-pending presidential reference which was filed on behalf of former president Asif Ali Zardari on April 2, 2011.
PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were present in the courtroom as the court proceedings were set into motion.
Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the larger apex court bench consisted of Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Musarrat Hilali.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) informed the court that the nine-judge larger bench was formed after a senior judge opted to stay out of the bench and two other judges recused themselves for personal reasons.
At the outset of the hearing, Attorney General for Pakistan Mukhtar Usman Awan informed the SC judges that the government wanted to pursue the presidential reference.
Farooq H Naek said that he will represent Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. At this point, the CJP said the court can also hear you as a lawyer of a political party and heirs.
Earllier in the day, the Supreme Court decided to live-stream the judicial proceedings regarding the hearing of presidential reference. Tuesday’s court proceedings live-streamed on the website of the Supreme Court.
‘Opportunity to undo grievous wrong’
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari said today was an opportunity for the SC to “undo a grievous wrong”. “Let us hope and pray the honourable justices exorcise that shame today,” she added.
On Monday, PPP Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari filed an application in the Supreme Court urging live telecast of the court proceedings regarding a presidential reference seeking to revisit the death sentence awarded to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Asif Zardari had moved the Supreme Court under Article 186(1) and (2) of the Constitution, which empowers the president to refer any question of public importance to the apex court for its opinion.
Headed by then chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, an 11-judge bench held the reference’s last hearing in January 2012.
In March 1978, a four-member bench of Lahore High Court had awarded the death sentence to Bhutto, which was later challenged in the Supreme Court.
In a four to three split verdict, a seven-judge SC had bench upheld the sentence during the military regime of the then-army chief Gen Ziaul Haq in March 1979.
courtesy : 24 news
