ISLAMABAD — The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has formally welcomed the detailed judicial opinion of Supreme Court Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar regarding the 1979 execution of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
In a statement issued on Monday, February 2, 2026, PPP Central Spokesperson Shazia Marri declared that the opinion “corrects one of the darkest chapters in Pakistan’s history” by finally acknowledging the trial as a “judicial murder.”
پولیس کی جانب سے بند کیس کو مارشل لا دور میں بغیر قانونی جواز دوبارہ کھولا گیا، ذوالفقار بھٹو کی پھانسی سے متعلق صدارتی ریفرنس پر جسٹس محمد علی مظہر نے تفصیلی رائے جاری کردی#ARYNews pic.twitter.com/5SCYRfmEGR
— ARY NEWS (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) February 1, 2026
Key Judicial Observations
In his 24-page note released as part of the presidential reference findings, Justice Mazhar detailed the systemic failures that plagued the 1979 trial:
- Admission of Coercion: Justice Mazhar cited the belated admissions of former Chief Justice Nasim Hasan Shah, who had conceded that the verdict was delivered under pressure from the Zia-ul-Haq regime. Mazhar noted this admission constitutes a violation of a judge’s oath.
- Constitutional Violations: The opinion held that the trial was a blatant violation of Articles 4 and 9 (Fair Trial and Due Process), noting that transparency and legality were “deliberately sacrificed.”
- Bias and Temperament: Mazhar observed that the judges involved were in an “angry state of mind,” losing the patience and impartiality required to dispense justice. He criticized the use of “harsh and sarcastic language” during the proceedings.
- Unlawful Reopening: The note emphasized that the case was illegally reopened during martial law solely to serve the “personal vendetta” of a military dictator.
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PPP’s Response: “Destroyed by History”
Shazia Marri reiterated that the PPP has always maintained that Bhutto was executed not by the law, but by a “weaponized” court system.
“I would much rather be destroyed by a military dictator than by history.” — Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (recalled by Shazia Marri)
Key Points from Marri’s Statement:
- Judicial Cleansing: She asserted that the Supreme Court’s current stance pierces the veil of the entire 1979 conviction.
- Mala Fide Intent: The PPP leader stated that personal biases of the then-judges fatally undermined the independence of the judiciary.
- History Vindicated: Marri concluded that while the legal correction took 47 years, the “court of history” had already delivered its verdict in favor of the party founder.
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Legal Legacy: The 2024-2026 Context
The Supreme Court of Pakistan had already issued a short unanimous order on March 6, 2024, acknowledging that Bhutto was denied a fair trial. Justice Mazhar’s detailed note (released on Jan 31, 2026) serves as a formal, exhaustive legal record of why those requirements were not met, specifically targeting the illegality of the “approver’s testimony” as the sole basis for a death sentence.
The PPP is now expected to push for Bhutto to be officially declared a “National Hero” by the federal government.
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