SC to resume hearing in ZAB murder case

Amicus curiae to begin arguments on Monday.

ISLAMABAD: After a gap of five months, the Supreme Court will resume hearing the presidential reference revisiting former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s murder case on Monday (today).

The case was last adjourned by the apex court on June 29.

To resume hearing on the reference, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry constituted an eleven-member bench, headed by himself, and comprising Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Tariq Parvez, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani and Justice Amir Hani Muslim.

Everyone’s invited

The counsels for the parties as well as amicus curiae, individuals who are not party to the case but will be assisting the court, were requested to ensure their presence.

The court had appointed 10 amicus curiae on April 21, including Ali Ahmed Kurd, Tariq Mehmood, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, Khalid Anwar, Makhdoom Ali Khan, SM Zafar, Aitzaz Ahsan, Zahoorul Haq and Abdul Latif Afridi.

Khalid Anwar, however, expressed his inability to assist the court and Qazi Muhammad Ashraf was appointed in his place.

The case is expected to be heard every day between December 12th and 16th. The court breaks for winter vacations from December 19th till 31st.

Notices to all concerned, including the incumbent president of Supreme Court Bar Association, have been issued.

At the last hearing, the attorney general had requested for more time to prepare further arguments.

Meanwhile Babar Awan, the president’s counsel, had completed his arguments in the case and raised five questions for the apex court. When the hearing resumes on Monday, the amicus curiae would start their arguments.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2011.