SC adjourns hearing of presidential reference about ZAB hanging until third week of February

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - A larger bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday adjourned the hearing of the presidential reference about the hanging of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto until third week of February.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa headed the nine-judge bench comprising of Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminuddin, Justice Jamal Mandokhel, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Musarat Hilali.

Barrister Salahudddin told court that his wife is the granddaughter of Nawab Ahmed Kasuri and court should ask the parties whether they had any objection to his assistance. CJP Qazi Faez Isa remarked that it was a serious matter if his wife had objected to his assistance.

Counsel Farooq H Naik said that the ZAB relatives had no objection to Salahuddin.

Justice Mian Muhammad Ali Mazhar observed that the court would have to do something in each case if it did in this case.

Makhdoom Ali Khan contended that the basis for this reference was the interview of Naseem Hasssan Shah. On the orders of the chief justice, Naseem Hassan Shah's interview was played on TV, but later it was stopped.

In 2011, former president Asif Ali Zardari had sent the presidential reference about the 'judicial murder' of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The reference was filed under Article 186 (1 and 2) of the Constitution, which empowers the president to refer any question of public importance to the apex court to seek its opinion on any matter.

In March 1979, a seven-member SC bench had upheld a Lahore High Court verdict of awarding death sentence to the former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1977.