Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and foreign minister, has called the “judicial murder” of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto a “black spot” on Pakistan’s justice system. Speaking ahead of the 44th anniversary of Bhutto’s martyrdom, which was marked on April 4, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari highlighted the delay in the presidential reference regarding the judicial murder that has been pending in the Supreme Court for the past 12 years. He said that the third generation of the Bhutto family is now awaiting justice.
Bhutto Zardari said that during the 4,382 days that the case has been pending in the Supreme Court, Pakistan’s justice system has not given even a single minute to Bhutto Shaheed’s plea. He questioned how many more generations of the Bhutto family would have to wait for justice. He urged the Supreme Court to fix an early hearing for the presidential reference sent by President Asif Ali Zardari under Article 186 on April 2, 2011.
Bhutto Zardari praised Bhutto’s leadership, under which Pakistan made significant progress in political, diplomatic, economic, defense, and social terms. He said that Bhutto’s achievements included raising political consciousness among the people, giving Pakistan its first unanimous Constitution, initiating agricultural and economic reforms, starting the nuclear program, establishing Pakistan-China friendship, and making Pakistan the diplomatic capital of the Islamic world.
The PPP chairman declared that Bhutto’s martyrdom anniversary was a day of renewal of the pledge that PPP would continue to uphold democracy, the Constitution of 1973, parliamentary supremacy, and the rights of workers, farmers, minorities, and women, as well as tolerance and equality in society. He promised that Bhuttoism would continue to be a beacon of light to guide them, and the party would strive to provide ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ (bread, cloth, and home) to every Pakistani by establishing a strong democratic system based on justice and fairness.
Bhutto Zardari said that history has provided so much evidence supporting Bhutto’s innocence that even his worst foes must now admit that the “Quaid-e-Awam” “suffered the gravest injustice.” He added that the PPP would continue to fight for justice and democracy in Pakistan, and the Bhutto family would not rest until justice was served.
