PPP seeks live telecast of hearing against Zulfikar Bhutto’s death sentence

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has moved the Supreme Court (SC) for live telecast of a hearing on a presidential reference against former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s death sentence, ARY News reported.

A nine-member larger bench of the Supreme Court will take up a long-pending presidential reference seeking to revisit the ‘controversial’ death sentence awarded to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on December 12 (tomorrow).

The plea was moved by the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, stating the narrative of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is still alive despite awarding him a death sentence in 1979.

The PPP chairman has requested the apex court for a live telecast of the hearing.

On April 2, 2011, then-president Asif Ali Zardari approached the apex court through a presidential reference to seek its opinion on revisiting the trial of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) founder.

Read more: SC to hear reference against Zulfikar Bhutto’s death sentence on Dec 12

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was handed a death sentence during former military ruler General (retired) Ziaul Haq’s regime.

The first elected prime minister of the country was charged with the murder of a political rival Nawab Mohammed Ahmed Qasuri and a trial took place.

Amid petitions and appeals of clemency, and mercy from several Heads of States, Bhutto was hanged on April 4, 1979.