LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party celebrated Supreme Court verdict on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto trial by observing a thanksgiving day outside the shrine of Hazrat Ali Hajveri , better known as Data Gunj Bakhsh, here on Thursday.

Led by Lahore division president Chaudhry Aslam Gill, PPP workers raised slogans like “zinda hey Bhutto zinda hey” and “ik Zardari sab pe bhari”.

Speaking to the participants, Mr Gill said at last Shaheed Bhutto secured justice after 40 years. He said a dictator ousted the elected government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and then hanged him and the Supreme Court admitted in its verdict that Bhutto Shaheed was not offered a chance for free trial.

He said jiyalas (PPP diehard workers) were also obliged to Asif Ali Zardari for filing 13 years ago a reference with the Supreme Court on ‘judicial murder’ of Bhutto.

Meanwhile, senior PPP leader Barrister Amir Hassan has welcomed the Supreme Court verdict admitting that Bhutto had not been given the right to fair trial.

He says though the short order is a step in the right direction, it needs explanation of how the Supreme Court had been led to give the earlier ‘unfair’ decision in the Kasuri murder case 40 years ago.

He hopes that in its detailed judgment the court would throw light on the factors behind the previous verdict and acknowledge Bhutto’s historical role in national and international politics.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2024