ZA Bhutto case: SC constitutes larger bench for presidential reference
President Asif Ali Zardari refers specific questions of law to the court.
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court has constituted a larger bench to hear the presidential reference on the murder trial of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto after President Asif Ali Zardari referred specific questions of law to the court.
The government’s counsel, Babar Awan, presented the questions of law before the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
The first question placed before the bench by Awan was whether the decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in Bhutto’s murder trial upheld by the Supreme Court meets the requirements of fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution.
Awan asked if the conviction leading to the execution of Bhutto was binding on all other courts and whether the death sentence justified given the circumstances of the case or would it amount to deliberate murder keeping in view the alleged bias against ZA Bhutto.
The president has also inquired whether the verdict against Bhutto fulfils the requirements of Islamic laws.
The court summoned the original record of Bhutto’s trial from the LHC to facilitate Awan in preparation of his arguments. The next hearing will be on May 2.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2011.
The Supreme Court has constituted a larger bench to hear the presidential reference on the murder trial of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto after President Asif Ali Zardari referred specific questions of law to the court.
The government’s counsel, Babar Awan, presented the questions of law before the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
The first question placed before the bench by Awan was whether the decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in Bhutto’s murder trial upheld by the Supreme Court meets the requirements of fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution.
Awan asked if the conviction leading to the execution of Bhutto was binding on all other courts and whether the death sentence justified given the circumstances of the case or would it amount to deliberate murder keeping in view the alleged bias against ZA Bhutto.
The president has also inquired whether the verdict against Bhutto fulfils the requirements of Islamic laws.
The court summoned the original record of Bhutto’s trial from the LHC to facilitate Awan in preparation of his arguments. The next hearing will be on May 2.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2011.