A nine-member larger bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa will convene to address a matter brought forward by Bilawal through an application. The applicant is requesting a live or on-air hearing of the case. The members of the bench include Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminud Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Musarrat Hilali, as stated by Supreme Court Registrar Jazeela Aslam.
To understand the context, on April 2, 2011, former President Asif Ali Zardari submitted a presidential reference under Article 186 of the Constitution of Pakistan, seeking the Supreme Court’s opinion on revisiting the trial of the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The reference was made regarding Bhutto’s trial, which occurred after his arrest in connection with the murder of Nawab Muhammad Ahmad Khan Kasuri in March 1974. Initially, Bhutto was released due to contradictory and incomplete charges, but he was later rearrested and presented before the Lahore High Court.
On March 18, 1978, Bhutto was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court was approached to challenge this decision, and on February 6, 1979, a 4-3 majority upheld the high court’s guilty verdict. Bhutto’s appeal was subsequently dismissed on March 24, 1979, and General Ziaul Haq, the then-ruling military leader, confirmed the death sentence. On April 4, 1979, Bhutto was executed and laid to rest in Garhi Khuda Baksh, his family mausoleum.
It is worth noting that the Supreme Court’s judgment on Bhutto’s hanging has not been cited as a precedent by judges in other cases. Despite the passage of 32 years, the PPP, while in power, filed the reference to reopen Bhutto’s trial on April 2, 2011. This case now awaits the proceedings before the larger bench of the Supreme Court, with tomorrow’s hearing being the next step in the process.
