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Bilawal takes exception to SC judge questioning maintainability of ZA Bhutto reference

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  • Bilawal questions “statute of limitation” in hearing Bhutto reference.
  • Seeking justice for murder is legal right of everyone: PPP chief.
  • Urges SC to set legacy for country via ZA Bhutto reference verdict.

Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari Wednesday raised several “questions of law” a day after a judge of the Supreme Court questioned the maintainability of 12-year-old Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reference.

On Tuesday, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah observed that the matter pertaining to the trial of the PPP founder had attained finality as a review petition had been dismissed earlier, so how can the apex court re-open the case that has already been concluded.

A nine-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa heard the presidential reference seeking to revisit the ZAB murder case.

The apex court heard the attorney general and PPP counsel Farooq H Naek, and adjourned the hearing till the second week of January 2024.

The PPP chairman, while addressing lawyers at Peshawar High Court Bar Association today, said: “I want to ask you a few questions of law as I was asked that you are pleading this [ZA Bhutto] reference but what’s your question of law.”

“My question of law is that can judiciary commit a murder or become co-accused in committing a murder,” the PPP chief said.

Bilawal questioned the “statute of limitation” in hearing ZA Bhutto reference that was filed by then president Asif Ali Zardari in 2011, asking the top court to review the verdict that sentenced PPP founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to death in 1978.

“Seeking justice for murder is a legal right of everyone,” he said, opposing the limitation to hearing the cases that are time-barred.

“Murder is murder no matter how many years have passed,” he added.

Taking a jibe at former chief justices, Bilawal without naming anyone, asked what’s the question of law in launching a dam fund campaign — a reference to former top judge Saqib Nisar’s campaign initiated during the Imran Khan government.

He also asked if any chief justice has the right to take steps to restore a city to its original plan by demolishing the houses of the poor. Bilawal was referring to the ex-chief justice Gulzar Ahmed who ordered the demolition of buildings and slum areas built illegally in Karachi.

“We will speak about the question of law but along with that we hope that […] as per law and Constitution, the Supreme Court will set a legacy in its order to give a roadmap for the progress and prosperity of the country and youth,” he added.

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Imran Khan’s bail request in the Toshakhana-II case has had its objections dismissed.

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In the Toshakhana-II case, the Islamabad High Court has dismissed the objections to PTI founder Imran Khan’s bail request.

IHC instructed the registrar’s office to schedule the hearing for the case for Monday.

Imran Khan’s attorneys, Shaheena Shahab, Ayesha Khalid, and others, arrived in court today as IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the case.

The registrar’s objections to the plea were questioned by Justice Aurangzeb. In the Toshakhana-II case, Imran Khan submitted a bail application, according to counsel Ayesha Khalid.

Justice Miangul said that previous rulings in circumstances comparable to this one adhered to the consistency principle. In this instance, the petitioner was a man, he added.

Bushra Bibi was given bail because she was a woman, according to the justice, and an application like this one was denied yesterday.

Given that the case action date was November and the power of attorney was executed in July, Justice Aurangzeb raised a concern about the timing.

Justice requested the help of Advocate Shah Khawar in this case.

When an applicant was held in jail, Shah Khawar retorted that it was standard procedure to obtain signatures on required documents, such as a power of attorney.

Imran Khan’s attorney, Shaheena Shahab, asked the court to send out notices regarding the bail plea. A judge named Aurangzeb said that the law would be observed.

Following arguments, the court dismissed the registrar office’s objections and ordered that the case hearing be scheduled for Monday.

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PTI presents seven nominations to Imran Khan for the judicial commission.

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed seven individuals to its founder, Imran Khan, for consideration as founding members of PTI for membership in the next Judicial Commission.

None of the nominated individuals are attorneys; rather, the roster includes four Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and three senators.

The proposed MNAs are Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Mohammad Khan, and Aamir Dogar, while the senators are Shibli Faraz, Mohsen Aziz, and Aun Abbas Bapi. Sources suggest that the Judicial Commission will include one opposition member from both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PTI founder will evaluate and endorse two names from the suggested list, which will then be sent to the Speaker for future actions.

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Miller confirmed that Biden’s administration got a letter from a congressman requesting the release of the PTI founder.

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Following his removal as prime minister in 2022, Khan started a protest movement against a coalition of his enemies led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Since then, he has been in jail since August 2023 and has been involved in hundreds of cases.

In response to ARY News’ question over the congressmen’s letter during a media briefing in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will respond in due course to the members.”

The United States wants to see Pakistan maintain its democracy, Miller stated.

The release of the PTI founder’s wife and sisters was a result of a meeting between the US Deputy Assistant Secretary and a Pakistani government representative in Islamabad, which was further questioned during the press briefing.

“I won’t be addressing that,” Miller said when asked if the United States was involved in their release. Miller did, however, affirm that the conference included the defense of Pakistan’s basic liberties and rights.

Sixty-two members of the US Congress urged President Joe Biden on October 24 to support the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and other political prisoners.

The congressmen, who included well-known Muslim members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said in their letter that the Biden administration should ask Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of PTI founder Imran Khan.

They also underlined that US policy should concentrate on Pakistan’s human rights situation and asked that US ambassadors attend the PTI leader’s incarceration.

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