PPP demands Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's image on currency notes

LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Sunday adopted a resolution demanding the federal government to declare party founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto a national democratic hero and feature his image on currency notes.

The resolution was passed during a seminar titled ‘Bhutto Reference and History’, discussing Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto reference.

Lauding the Supreme Court’s admission that PPP founder’s trial, which led to his execution, was unfair, the resolution demanded the federal government to confer the title of “Quaid-e-Awam” (Leader of the People) upon him, and award him the highest civilian honour, Nishan-e-Pakistan.

Apart from demanding featuring of Bhutto’s image on currency notes, the resolution also called for construction of a befitting monument in Bhutto’s honour and the declaration of his mausoleum as a national shrine.

Furthermore, it calls for the reversal of the unjust death sentence handed down to Bhutto and the establishment of a “Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Award” for democracy activists who have sacrificed their lives for the cause.

Earlier, the National Assembly had passed a resolution in March declaring Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s trial as judicial murder.

Supreme Court announced its reserved opinion on the presidential reference against the ‘controversial’ death sentence awarded to PPP founder, saying that the former prime minister did not get a chance to a “fair trial”.

Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, a nine-judge bench announced its opinion on the long-pending presidential reference to answer whether it can revisit its verdict, which the PPP and jurists regard as a historic wrong.

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.