On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan revealed that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not receive a fair trial. A nine-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa delivered this verdict. They reviewed a 2011 presidential reference from Asif Ali Zardari, questioning Bhutto’s sentence and execution. Bhutto, the founder of the PPP, was executed in 1979, termed “judicial murder” by his party.
Chief Justice Isa called the trial unfair and violated constitutional due process. This decision comes 12 years after Zardari’s reference, which challenged Bhutto’s execution under Gen Zia ul Haq. An 11-member bench initially heard the reference in 2011. Recently, a nine-member bench took over, highlighting the need to correct past mistakes for justice.
The court considered five key questions, focusing on whether the trial and the Supreme Court’s decisions upheld fundamental rights and due process. Although acknowledging lapses, the court stated its advisory role under Article 186 limited its ability to alter the verdict. Nonetheless, it stressed that Bhutto’s trial lacked fairness and due process, signifying a pivotal moment in acknowledging judicial errors in Pakistan’s history.
