Supreme Court of Pakistan would resume the hearing of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) reference on December 12.
11-member larger bench of apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar
Muhammad Chaudhry would hear the presidential reference filed for
revisit the ZAB murder case.
Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari on 26th November wrote a letter
to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) for resuming the hearing of ZAB
reference.
The apex court would hear the reference on daily basis and senior counsel Babar Awan would present federation.
The bench comprises of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry,
Justice Mian Shakiullah Jan, Justice Tassadaque Hussain Jillani, Justice
Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Jawad S Khawaja, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali,
Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Tariq Pervaiz, Justice Mian Saqib
Nisar, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani and Justice Ameer Hani Muslim.
The case was earlier fixed before the Court on various dates during
April to June 2011. On 21.04.2011, the learned Bench of three Judges
presided over by the CJ directed to constitute a larger Bench and
accordingly a larger Bench was constituted.
On the last date of hearing on 29.06.2011 the matter was adjourned by
the larger Bench with the observation that subject to availability of
the Bench, the case shall be fixed.
On 21.04.2011 the Court appointed amicus curiae in the terms that, In
view of the Importance of the Presidential Reference, senior
advocates/jurists, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Tariq Mehmood, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada,
Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, Khalid Anwar, Makhdoom Ali Khan, S. M. Zafar,
Aitzaz Ahsan, Zahoorul Haq and Abdul Latif Afridi are hereby appointed
as amicus curia.”
Meanwhile, Khalid Anwar, Sr. ASC expressed his inability to assist
this court as amicus curiae by sending a written request which was
accepted by the court vide order dated 02.05.2011 and in his place Qazi
Muhammad Ashraf, Sr. ASC was appointed as amicus curiae. SANA
