ISLAMABAD – President Asif Ali Zardari signed a reference on Friday under Article 186 of the constitution for the court to reopen the case of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and give its opinion on the death sentence awarded to the former prime minister by the Lahore High Court and subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court in March 1979 in a split verdict.
The president signed the reference accompanied by close aides Law Minister Babar Awan and Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza. The reference will now be sent to the Supreme Court by the Law Ministry. Early this week, the federal cabinet authorised the president to file the reference.
Article 186 states: “(1) If, at any time, the president considers that it is desirable to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court on any question of law which he considers of public importance, he may refer the question to the Supreme Court for consideration.”
Clause 2 of the same article states: “The Supreme Court shall consider a question so referred and report its opinion on the question to the president.”
