The Supreme Court is scheduled to conduct a hearing on the 12-year-old reference, reconsidering the contentious death sentence given to PPP founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1978.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa will lead the nine-member larger apex court bench, and the proceedings on the Presidential Reference No 1 of 2011 will be broadcast live on the official website and YouTube channel of the Supreme Court.
The decision to address this case was made under Section 2(1) of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, by a committee comprising CJP Isa, Justice Masood, and Justice Ahsan.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari initiated the reference on April 2, 2011, seeking the Supreme Court’s opinion on revisiting the trial of the PPP founder. A two-judge panel, consisting of Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, was formed to decide on the live telecast of the reference.
Ahead of the hearing, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari filed a civil miscellaneous application urging the court to permit the live broadcast, emphasizing the importance of the nation hearing the proceedings. Bilawal expressed hope that the chief justice would rectify constitutional mistakes and shed light on the circumstances surrounding Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s murder. The PPP seeks justice and transparency in this historic case.
