The reference was signed in the presence of Federal Minister for Law and Justice Babar Awan and Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza. It was sent to the Supreme Court by the ministry of law. Before filing the reference in the Apex Court, Minister for Law and Justice Babar Awan while addressing a press conference said that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) did not accept the court decision against party's founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
To a question, the minister said reference for reopening the case could not be filed by previous governments of the PPP because of their dismissals by the then presidents Ghulam Ishaque Khan and Farooq Leghari. He further said that the government decision to reopen the case would help strengthen the country's judicial system. President Asif Ali Zardari had signed the reference, which seeks to reopen the case of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was hanged on April 4, 1979, in Rawalpindi. The execution has been widely termed a 'judicial murder.'
Babar termed Bhutto's execution a black spot in the history of Pakistan and that it was PPP's obligation to set the record straight. He recalled that a judge of the bench, which had upheld the death sentence by the Lahore High Court, had publicly acknowledged that the verdict was given under the pressure of Late General Zia-ul-Haq.
"Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed by the military dictator ignoring the appeals by world leaders and serious reservations shown by international jurists over the legal propriety of the sentence," he said. To a question he said, "Article 186 of the Constitution, under which the reference has been filed, states: that if, at any time, the President considers that it is desirable to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court on any question of law which he considers of public importance, he may refer the question to the Supreme Court for consideration. In addition to this, the apex court shall consider a question so referred and report its opinion on the question to the President."
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