The Supreme Court is making public its eagerly awaited ruling on the long-pending presidential reference, addressing whether it can go back and change the 1979 ruling that put Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to death—a decision that the PPP and legal experts view as a historic mistake.
A nine-judge panel chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa is considering a reference filed in April 2011 on behalf of former president Asif Ali Zardari, who is seeking an advisory opinion from the Supreme Court over the possibility of reversing the PPP founder’s death sentence.
A nine-judge panel chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa is considering a reference filed in April 2011 on behalf of former president Asif Ali Zardari, who is seeking an advisory opinion from the Supreme Court over the possibility of reversing the PPP founder’s death sentence.
Live coverage of the proceedings is available on the Supreme Court’s website and YouTube channel.
Almost two years after the military dictator Gen. Ziaul Haq toppled Bhutto’s administration in March 1979, a seven-judge Supreme Court bench affirmed the Lahore High Court’s decision to condemn the former premier to death in a divided four-three decision.
As Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, one of the bench members, is soon to retire, CJP Isa had noted during the Monday reference hearing’s end that the court would issue a brief order on the reference in a few days following consultation.
Ahmed Raza Qasuri, the person whose complaint led to the murder case being filed against former Prime Minister Bhutto, noted that the court had not yet resolved the admissibility of the reference and expressed concern that an opinion from the highest court would allow a plethora of references to be filed, overwhelming the court with cases similar to the one in which the PTI was denied the right to use the “bat” symbol on January 13.
