The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Monday that the third generation of the Bhutto family was awaiting justice from the Supreme Court for the “judicial murder” of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
In a message ahead of the 44th martyrdom day anniversary of the ex-PM, set to be marked today (Tuesday), the foreign minister said Zulfikar’s “judicial murder” was a “black spot” on the judicial system. The PPP chairman said that the presidential reference regarding the judicial murder of the prime minister who gave the country a “unanimous Constitution” has been pending in the Supreme Court for the past 12 years.
“During these 4,382 days, our justice system did not have even a minute to listen to Bhutto shaheed’s plea. How many more generations of the Bhutto family will have to wait to get justice?” he asked.
The PPP chief said that history has brought so much proof in favour of Bhutto’s innocence that even his worst enemies now have to say that the “‘Quaid-e-Awam’ suffered the gravest injustice”.
“I appeal to the Supreme Court that the presidential reference sent by President Asif Ali Zardari under Article 186 on April 2, 2011, should be fixed for early hearing.” Paying glowing tribute to Bhutto, the PPP chairman said that under his leadership, Pakistan crossed many milestones in political, diplomatic, economic, defence and social terms.
“Raising the political consciousness among the people, giving the country’s first unanimous Constitution, making agricultural and economic reforms, starting the nuclear program, establishing Pakistan-China friendship and making Pakistan the diplomatic capital of the Islamic world are few examples of Bhutto Shaheed’s achievements,” he pointed out.
He said that the occasion of Bhutto’s martyrdom anniversary is a day of renewal of the pledge that PPP would continue upholding and would not give up at any cost the democracy, the Constitution of 1973, the parliamentary supremacy, rights of workers, farmers, minorities and women, as well as tolerance and equality in the society. “Bhuttoism will continue to remain a beacon of light to guide us, and we will continue to struggle to provide ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ (bread, cloth, and home) to every Pakistani by establishing a strong democratic system based on justice and fairness,” he pledged.
Meanwhile, President of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians, Asif Ali Zardari in his message on the martyrdom anniversary of Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Monday said that Pakistan and the Constitution of 1973 were the heritage passed on to us by Shaheed Quaid-e-Awam, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He said, “We will not hesitate to render any sacrifice for the sake of Pakistan’s security and Constitution.”
Asif Ali Zardari said that the execution of martyr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had been declared as a judicial murder by history. However, in this regard, the presidential reference in the Supreme Court awaits hearing for over the last 10 years. The Supreme Court has not taken this case for hearing since over a decade.
The former president said that the Quaid-e-Awam (the leader of the people), Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was killed physically but he was alive in the hearts of millions of people today whereas his killers had rotted in the dustbin of history. He said that after the tragedy of December 27, 2007, when the very existence of the country was under threat, the soldiers of Quaid-e-Awam and his successor not only saved Pakistan but also restored the Constitution in its original form. Asif Ali Zardari said that it was the charisma of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that every citizen of the country recognized the constitution as a sacred document today. Democracy should be getting stronger as the survival of the country was only possible in a strong democracy, he added.
