ZAB Case: CJP says Article 186 should be amended

Chief Justice says Article 186 needs to be amended to set aside an earlier verdict, re-hear case and give new verdict.

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while hearing the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto reference case on Wednesday, said that Article 186 of the constitution should be amended in order to empower the Supreme Court to set aside an earlier verdict, re-hear a case and give a new verdict.

The chief justice said that the Supreme Court could not annul a previously given verdict under the constitution. He said that the court had limited powers under Article 186 and the constitution did not allow the court to criticise its own verdicts.

He said that numerous people had been executed during military regimes and all such cases could not be entertained.

The chief justice inquired about 5 more cases filed against Zulfikar Ali Bhuttto in 1978. Counsel for the government, Babar Awan said that no record could be found on the cases against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.