ISLAMABAD: PPP Central Spoke­sperson Shazia Marri has welcomed the opinion of Supreme Court Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar on the presidential reference, saying that “it has finally exposed the truth behind the judicial murder of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and corrected one of the darkest chapters in Pakistan’s history”.

Supreme Court Judge Justice Muh­ammad Ali Mazhar, during hearing of a case on Saturday, said that former chief justice of Supreme Court late Justice Nasim Hasan Shah’s belated admission of coercion in the former prime minister late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s trial, left no doubt in the mind of a sane and prudent person that it was a “judicial murder” and such an admission constituted a violation of his oath. In her statement, Ms Marri said the Supreme Court has categorically held that the trial of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was conducted in blatant violation of the Constitution, due process, and the fundamental right to a fair trial.

“The court’s observations have laid bare how transparency, legality, and justice were deliberately sacrificed under a dictatorial regime,” she added.

She said Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar’s opinion clearly establishes that personal bias and mala fide intent of certain judges fatally undermined the independence of the judiciary, making an impartial verdict impossible.

She said the case was illegally and unlawfully reopened during martial law, solely to serve the personal vendetta of a military dictator, with no legal or constitutional basis.

Ms Marri reiterated that the PPP has always maintained that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was not executed by law but murdered through the misuse of the judicial system.

She said a ruthless dictator, aided by his facilitators, weaponised the courts to eliminate the country’s most popular and visionary leader. The PPP leader recalled Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s historic words, “I would much rather be destroyed by a military dictator than by history,” she added.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2026