ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan announced its long-awaited opinion on Wednesday regarding the presidential reference concerning the contentious death sentence imposed on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former prime minister, stating that Bhutto was deprived of a “fair trial”.
Chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, a nine-member larger bench of the Supreme Court (SC) reserved its judgment on Monday in the ongoing presidential reference, aimed at revisiting the controversial 1979 death sentence handed to former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
The bench, consisting 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, unanimously concluded that “Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not receive a fair trial and due process as guaranteed by Articles 4 and 9 of the Constitution,” announced CJP Isa while delivering the concise order.
CJP Isa further mentioned that a comprehensive opinion would be released later by the SC. The proceedings were openly broadcasted on the Supreme Court’s official website.
In the previous hearing, CJP Justice Qazi Faez Isa had indicated that a concise order on the reference would be issued shortly after deliberation.
Former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had previously presided over five hearings on the presidential reference, with the final one taking place on November 11, 2012.
In 2011, former President Asif Ali Zardari had petitioned the Supreme Court through a Presidential Reference under Article 186 of the Constitution, seeking a review of the trial of the PPP Founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had been sentenced to death during the tenure of former military ruler General (retired) Ziaul Haq. Bhutto, the country’s first elected prime minister, was accused of the murder of his political opponent Nawab Mohammed Ahmed Qasuri, leading to a highly contested trial.
Despite numerous pleas for clemency and appeals for mercy from various Heads of States, Bhutto was executed on April 4, 1979.
