Emotionally moved, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed his gratitude on Wednesday towards the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling regarding the trial, sentencing, and execution of the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, deeming it a “historic” moment.
Addressing the media outside the SC in Islamabad, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari welcomed the opinion delivered by a nine-member bench of the top court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa. The opinion, following a 2011 presidential reference seeking a review of the sentence and execution of Bhutto, acknowledged the lack of a fair trial for the former prime minister, who was hanged to death on April 4, 1979, after an SC verdict in a murder case, which the PPP has denounced as a “judicial murder.”
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CJP Isa, while announcing the bench’s reserved opinion, affirmed, “Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not receive a fair trial, contrary to the constitutional requirement of due process.” He emphasized the need for humility in acknowledging past mistakes and a commitment to ensuring justice is served with unwavering integrity and fidelity to the law.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari praised the court’s recognition of the lack of a fair trial for the PPP founder, portraying the current ruling as an attempt to rectify past injustices. He denounced Bhutto’s death sentence as a blemish on the judiciary, highlighting the public’s lack of confidence in the judicial system and their skepticism about receiving justice from the courts due to this stain.
Expressing gratitude towards the judges, lawyers, and amici curiae for their contributions, the PPP chairman expressed hope that the ruling would steer the system towards the path of justice.
The recent development occurred as the apex court resumed the hearing on the presidential reference after nearly a year’s hiatus in December 2023. Previously, an 11-member larger bench of the apex court, led by former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, had conducted five hearings on the presidential reference, with the last one held on November 11, 2022. The current chief justice resumed the hearing on December 12 following a decision to expedite the case under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, made by a three-member committee comprising CJP Isa, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.
