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SC to hear reference against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto death sentence next week

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9 months ago

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  • Nine-member bench, headed by CJP, to hear reference.
  • Last hearing of reference was held on Nov 11, 2022.
  • SC to also hear IHC ex-judge Shaukat Siddiqui plea on removal.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court is set to take up the 12-year-old presidential reference on revisiting the controversial death sentence awarded to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto next week, The News reported Friday. 

A nine-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, will hear the presidential reference on reconsideration of Bhutto’s death sentence judgment on December 12.

The decision to fix the instant case was made under Section 2(1) of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, by a three-member committee comprising CJP Isa, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

According to Supreme Court Registrar Jazeela Aslam, the other members of the larger bench are Justice Masood, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminud Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Musarrat Hilali.

It is pertinent to mention that former president Asif Ali Zardari, on April 2, 2011, had approached the apex court through a presidential reference under Article 186 of the Constitution to seek its opinion on revisiting the trial of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The last hearing of the reference was held on November 11, 2022.

Earlier, an 11-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, had conducted five hearings in the presidential reference.

Babar Awan, the then federal law minister in the PPP regime, had earlier appeared as the federal government’s lawyer in the case and presented lengthy arguments. However, on January 17, 2012, Awan’s law practice license was suspended for criticising the court’s order in the Memogate case. Later, the case was adjourned due to a change of counsel who were appearing in the instant reference.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has also fixed the petition of sacked Islamabad High Court (IHC) Judge Shaukat Siddiqui challenging his removal for misconduct on December 14.

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Session of the Balochistan Assembly: The Assembly denounces recent acts of terrorism

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5 days ago

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In a resolution, the Balochistan Provincial Assembly vehemently denounced the terrorist acts on August 26.

Deputy Speaker Ghazala Gola presided over the assembly session, which took place in Quetta.

The resolution, proposed by Mir Ali Madad Jatak, vehemently denounced the despicable terrorist assaults that targeted defenseless individuals.

The Resolution required that anyone responsible for terrorist incidents face consequences from the law.

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Rana Sanaullah claims that CJP Qazi Faez Isa rejected the extension.

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6 days ago

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Neither the constitutional amendment nor the extension of the Chief Justice have the necessary number of votes. As a constitutional modification is the purview of Parliament, we ought to have done it if we had the necessary numbers.

It’s evident that CJP Qazi Faez Isa won’t take no for an answer. He said it would be acceptable to extend the age limit for everyone when he discussed this with the Attorney General and the Law Minister.

Rana Sanaullah stated that in terms of politics, they are working with Maulana Fazlur Rehman rather than supporting him.

Regarding his role in appointing the Army Chief and obtaining desired posts, Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed has been accused. Furthermore, he is charged with utilizing PTI for these objectives. He could not have acted alone if these charges are true, according to Sanaullah; the PTI founder would have also been involved.

Continue reading: Govt promises tough action over CJP Isa smear campaign.

“WhatsApp conversations between the two on May 9th may surface after retirement, and individuals who helped them communicate may later speak out,” the statement reads.

“Former COAS Qamar Javed Bajwa never asked for an extension in our presence,” Rana Sanaullah stated in response to a query posed during the interview. It was never mentioned by Shehbaz Sharif that the former COAS had requested a delay.

In addition, he refuted reports that Ijaz Amjad, the father-in-law of Qamar Javed Bajwa, and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif met in London.

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PM meets with Interior Minister and CM Balochistan.

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2 weeks ago

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Take all necessary action to enhance Balochistan’s law and order situation, per Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s directive.

During his visit to Islamabad, he spoke with Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

The PM received a thorough briefing on the security and general state of affairs in Balochistan from the Chief Minister of that province.

The prime minister spoke on the occasion, calling the terrorist assaults in Balochistan that occurred yesterday cowardly and unjustifiable.

By risking their lives, he claimed that our courageous Security Forces had thwarted the terrorists’ plans.

A directive to detect terrorists and take decisive action against them was also issued by the prime minister.

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