PPP wants the picture of late PPP leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on the currency notes of Pakistan. The party put forward the demand in the seminar held in Lahore on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
The seminar concluded with the resolution on declaring Zulfikar Ali Bhutto the national hero. Back in March, the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as unfair.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court delivered a significant verdict declaring that the trial of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was not conducted fairly. Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa announced the ruling, stating that the court did not find the trial to have met the standards of a fair trial and due process.
The decision comes after nearly 12 years since a presidential reference was filed by former President Asif Ali Zardari seeking a review of Bhutto’s death sentence. Bhutto was executed on April 4, 1979, following a controversial verdict in a murder case, which his party denounced as a “judicial murder.”
The reference, submitted on April 2, 2011, under Article 186 of the Constitution, was reviewed by a larger bench of the Supreme Court, led by former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. The court, comprising nine members and headed by Chief Justice Isa, conducted hearings and scrutinized the case over a span of several years.
During the proceedings, the court-appointed legal experts to provide insights into the matter’s technicalities, particularly focusing on its admissibility after being pending for over a decade. The bench reserved its opinion after extensive deliberation earlier this week, leading to today’s historic announcement.
Chief Justice Isa, while reading out the court’s opinion, highlighted that the trial proceedings, including those at the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court, fell short of meeting fundamental rights and due process standards outlined in the Constitution. The court’s ruling underscores a crucial reassessment of past legal proceedings and their adherence to constitutional principles.
Read More: Gandapur: Imran Khan to Decide on Reconciliation
Moreover, the court clarified that while it cannot reverse the final judgment of Bhutto’s case, it can identify and address major constitutional and legal shortcomings observed during the trial. This landmark decision acknowledges past injustices and sets a precedent for upholding the rule of law and ensuring fair trials in the future.