ISLAMABAD:
The federal cabinet has given the go-ahead to the ministry of law and justice to file a reference in the Supreme Court (SC) to reopen former premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s case which the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) believes culminated in his ‘judicial murder.’
President Asif Ali Zardari will take party leaders into confidence before filing a judicial reference in the ZA Bhutto case on April 4 in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, according to Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan who briefed the media after the cabinet meeting on Monday.
The PPP never accepted the impartiality of the 1979 death-by-hanging verdict handed down to its founding leader by the Lahore High Court during the dictatorial regime of Chief Martial Law Administrator Gen Ziaul Haq. Benazir Bhutto had vowed to reopen the case but could not do so during her two stints as prime minister.
The PPP now wants to evoke presidential powers granted under Article 186 of the constitution to ask the Supreme Court to consider the murder case for a review according to Federal Minister for Law and Justice Babar Awan. He was confident the SC would consider a request from the sitting president. But he was not equally sure of Lahore High Court officials who he hoped would not tamper with official records in connection with ZA Bhutto’s murder case.
The information minister also briefed the media on the ongoing talks between interior secretaries in New Delhi. Pakistan has evolved a strategy to initiate talks on all contentious issues with India to pave the way for bilateral talks, taking them up from where they had stalled after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The Indian and Pakistani premiers had pledged to revert to dialogue during a brief interaction in Bhutan last year.
Replying to a question, she said the meeting between the two premiers is “a gesture of goodwill between two neighbours for breaking the two and a half year deadlock.” Due to the unexpected invitation extended by Premier Singh, Gilani could not take leaders of other political parties on board about the visit, she explained. The prime minister is due to leave for Mohali on Wednesday morning.
The president and the prime minister want to avail the opportunity in national interest provided by Indian Premier Manmohan Singh who has invited them to witness the World Cup semi-final between their cricket teams, Awan said. “It is time for the two democratic governments to resolve all outstanding issues,” she said.
The federal cabinet condemned the US drone attacks which are seen to be promoting terrorism. She also informed reporters that the cabinet condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran by an American pastor. “Muslim countries should come up with a joint strategy to create interreligious harmony, especially in light of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC)’s recommendation to prevent such crimes,” she said.
The cabinet approved agreements recently signed between Tajikistan and Pakistan on economic cooperation as well as MoUs signed with Sri Lanka on agricultural cooperation.
The prime minister gave the approval for dissolving five other ministries to the provinces, namely ministry of education, culture, special education, livestock and dairy development and tourism. However, some departments of these ministries will be attached with federal ministries. The cabinet had dissolved five ministries in light of the 18th amendment last month.
The prime minister also discussed the agenda for the implementation of a
finance agreement in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and endorsed the decision of the Economic Coordination Committee for economic reforms.
A cabinet meeting is to be summoned to discuss economic reforms, especially the implementation of Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan, the minister said. However, she did not give a time frame for the meeting.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2011.
Absolute waste of time, money and resources, if this case is re-opened it will not accomplish anything at all other than the fact it will further divide the nation along party lines even further. Instead of wasting everyone’s time government need to figure our way to improve overall situation in Pakistan….. such as
1)Control inflation
2)Figure out ways to improve over all security situation in Pakistan
3)Stop endless killing spree in Karachi
4)Instead of taking out another loan form IMF to pay on the first loan why not try to improve overall economy (we have become a great nation of beggars, always looking for aid or loan)
5)Try to eliminate corruption for once FROM TOP TO BOTTOM (this time let’s start from the top, Mr.10% it’s your turn to start paying you share of taxes)
Seriously no one really cares what happened 20 plus years ago, it’s time to bury our differences instead of digging new graves. Let’s work together instead of working in small groups and not getting anything done and start thinking about the future of our country otherwise we might not have our beautiful Pakistan for long and we all cannot afford to go in SELF IMPOSE EXCILE.
I believe over all things are getting from bad to worse every day in Pakistan that PPP is now trying to divert attention from their bad leadership to this cheap tactic. No one and I mean no one cares what happened 20 plus years ago, people are concerned about how to feed their families and keep them safe. Any more they really don’t care about the political circus and clowns.
This is simply a murder case of the first elected PM of Pakistan. Re-opening it is simply a waste of precious time of SC of Pakistan. Don’t you know that CJ and SC are too busy in petty political cases?
Opening a murder or treason case against a general even though retired or dead is a mad man’s dream. Please let CJ be busy in cases against Sindhi politicians!
Mirza, USA
yes,ppp play the sindh card again.All of pakistan saw the racist attacks carried out by ppp sindh in the wake of NAB chief’s case,how to divert media & public attention away from the loot of taxpayer’s money ethnic prejudice of the worst kind was promoted by ppp.
Now to signal to the judiciary & army that if you try to stop our corruption we’ll cuase the break up of pakistan along ethnic lines.The people should realise what ppp is trying to do & not get hoodwinked by their racist propaganda.
The amount of hatred directed & incited by the ppp against punjab is mindboggling!
yet after every outburst,every accusation & taunt the punjabi people keep on sleeping & don’t react.
if even 1% of the mud thrown punjab’s way was thrown against sindh or the muhajir community all of the media,the anchors,news reporters,news readers would have been up in arms & screaming their lungs out demanding apologies.But when the target is punjabis i guess it’s fair game to sling as much mud as possible.
In today’s pakistan the biggest crime is to be a punajbi.
Another resource waster just to deviate public from geniune issues. Shame!!!!!!
Yet, another attempt to divert attention of the masses from the core issues, like governance, corruption, loadshedding of power and gas, price hike, rising costs of production, unemployment, lack of development in the country except Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, etc, etc, the list would be never ending…
What you did in BB murder case so far??/ and want to open this CASE!!!
Shame on Pak Gov’t.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was condemned to death by Lahore High Court and later hanged by the court comprising of Judges from all the Provinces.
The problem with the decision was that out of seven judges, THREE were from PUNJAB, one each from NWFP, BALOCHISTAN , SINDH and the Chief Justice was Mohajir.
Three Punjabi judges decided to hang the Prime Minister and other three judges from NWFP, Balochistan and Sindh asked for his honourable acquittal. Balance as usual went to the Mohajir. He sided with his Punjabi colleagues at the behest of a dictator (a Punjabi Mohajir) and first elected Prime Minister was hanged.
So where is Pakistan in this entire issue. Was ethnicity not stronger than the spirit of Pakistan.
Iftikhar Choudhari will not re-open this case because ZAB was a Sindhi person. In the supreme court, Iftikhar Choudhar has sidelined 95% sindhi and baloch employees. He is establishment’s strong voice who has decided to eradicate the secular, liberal and democratic Sindhi voices from every place!!!
We will fight back Iftikhar Choudhar, and we will fight back with the power of law!!!
Munawar, Islamabad
Once again Pakistan Govt.(PPP GOVT.) is going to waste millions of Rupees just like the money was wasted on Investigation of BB’s murder by UNO and Scotland Yard.
CJ is an honest man or mushraf & zardari would have found something to malign him but they can only cry about why he’s opening our cases intead of proving themselves Innocent if they havent done anything wrong
The important fact is that they have only 2 yrs left and whatever they do from now is actually assumed to be the most important thing for the people to vote for them… Will this case bring them votes??? May be it can get them Sindhi votes. But i believe people are now more aware and they want their real issues to be addressed, poverty, health & education
I guess living ppls have more importance than the dead ones.
The guys is dead. Period. Why light the fire which was snuffed? PPP needs to learn how to move on and stop portraying itself as ‘bechari, masom si PPP’
Better to reopen all cases. Also persons invloved in the separation of East Paksitan.
What a pity! This government only wants to divert peoples attention from price-hike and corruption. May Allah keep this country away from these corrupted and inefficient breed, Ameen.
Shame on you for arranging another task of wastage of time and government resources and divert public attention.
What about the BB Shaheed’s case which doesn’t need to be opened?? 🙁
How narrow minded we are, and we use emotions more often than a rational judgement. Our past judiciary had a strong hand in ZAB’s murder by bending the law as they have done throughout our chequered history (our judges always endorsed dictators barring 3 Nov). Yes, PPP is playing politics as usual (it is a political party anyway), however it is our collective burden as East Pakistan Debacle and we must address it before moving further. Our judiciary must look into this case on merit and give a verdict based on those evidences gathered at that time according to the true spirit of law at that time. Similarly we must look inward and appologise for burning and looting in East Pakistan in 1971 (through our Parliament of course) and refrain from current oppression in Balauchistan.
I am a Punjabi (a son of soil as they call it) and for me truth is higher goal than ‘my country:right or wrong’ approach. We more than often find sand and bury our heads than we confront the nasty truth.
Let the Truth be known, I believe it was a conspiracy to eliminate PM. ZAB through judiciary. He was definitely the most popular politician and some people took it as a threat to their power base and position. He became the victim of the Dark forces of Pakistan
I hope the real truth comes through and all the Generals responsible whether alive or dead are charged with murder including the damn judges who went along
Hahh haaaa haaaaaaa
Stop this mockery.
It is part of past and let it bury there.
If you dig the dirt it is gonna make you dirty as well.
It is just an effort to divert attention from real problems faced by the party and the govt. plus problems of the poor people of Pakistan.How very shameful??
The PPP has decided to file a reference in the Supreme Court (SC) to revisit the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) verdict, which indeed is a good step to uncover the facts behind the ZAB murder. When the SC handed down the death sentence to ZAB, a former prime Minster, for the assassination of Nawab Muhammad Khan, the whole world was shocked. The PPP and followers of the Bhuttos and their legacy still term his death a “judicial murder” and a propaganda orchestrated by the west and some local elements against the Bhuttos and PPP. The Chief Justice (CJ) of Pakistan has also declared that the judiciary is free and independent, that it has not targeted any person, organisation or institution. Such statements from the CJ of Pakistan are a positive sign but the judiciary has to prove its claim. The judiciary has to decide neutrally if such a reference is submitted by the president. The opposition should stop criticising the federal government by saying that it is trying to divert and manipulate public opinion from the real issues. In actuality, this is the real issue. ZAB is the first head of a government in Pakistan’s history who was given the death sentence and we want to know the reality behind this incident. It is now the responsibility of the judiciary to prove that it is not an anti-democratic, anti-government establishment but a free, independent, neutral law and justice body.
Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.The PPP’s govt must re-open Benazir Bhutto’s brother Murtaza Bhutto’s murder case also because Murtaza Bhutto was also belonged to Bhutto’s family not only Zulfiqar Bhutto’s case.
@Ahmer Ali:
I fully support your demand for reopening MURTAZA murder case also. I am 100% sure they will never because you will come to know who is involved.
If the idea behind is to correct the record then its a good move. Should go with it. There are two tragedies: ZAB was murdered (judicial murder) and he was decleared a criminal. Lets make free an innocent man – at least after his life.
Yesterday, the establishment was behind this cold blooded murder. Today they will try to protect their fore father by diverging the attention.
Every issue is important – and should address in parallel.
After nearly 30 years, the president has filed a reference in the Supreme Court for reopening of the Bhutto case. It is obvious that Bhutto’s name cannot be erased from history. In all honesty, it will be very fair to reopen Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s case and the ones found guilty of this judicial murder be tried and punished accordingly. Furthermore, we have to try the ones who violated our constitution repeatedly, dead and alive both, to set an example. Judiciary is free so it should decide this case on merit. Although it was obvious that Bhutto’s murder was judicial murder yet no court dared to declare it a judicial murder. Now the responsibility lies on the shoulders of CJP to decide this case on merit.
Re-Opening BHUTTO CASE CONSPIRACY AGAINST PAKISTAN,
This was said by an International Medaitor Faisal Muhammed.
I think this is a real target behiend this case, I saw many interviews of Mr Faisal Muhammed at Foreign TV Channels, like SAHAR( Iran ) Indian & CC TV China, he disclosed many conspiracy against Pakistan, but Pakistani Media also running behind the consprator politicians.
,