ZAB’s ‘judicial murder’: Bilawal says family’s third generation awaiting justice

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on 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 issued by the media cell of Bilawal House ahead of the 44th martyrdom anniversary of the former prime minister and PPP founder, set to be observed on Tuesday (today), the foreign minister said Zulfikar’s “judicial murder” was a “stain” on the judicial system.

The PPP chairman said that the presidential reference regarding the judicial murder of the former 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?”

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,” he said.

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.