ZAB case hearing begins Monday

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has a hectic schedule in the current week starting from Monday as besides, six regular benches, the Judges sitting in eleven-member and Shariat Appellate benches will have busy schedule when they once again don on their black robs after a break.

On Monday, an eleven-member larger bench will take up Presidential Reference which has been sent to it under Article 186 of the Constitution, seeking its opinion over murder of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the country's first elected prime minister.

The larger bench comprising the Chief Justice, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Muhammad Sair Ali, Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui, Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, will conduct proceedings till 1:00pm.

After 2007, the Supreme Court has constituted a special larger bench after conducting initial proceedings on the Presidential reference to deal with the issue.

The apex court bench will deal with one of the decision frequently termed by a large section of political stalwarts, jurists and civil society members as "judicial murder" of one of the most popular leader of the country.

The country's top court is set to give its opinion on a presidential reference, for revisiting the death sentence passed against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979.

In past, the apex court had given its opinion over presidential references, the most significant one was on August 4, 2005, when a nine-member bench declared several clauses of Hasba Bill relating to powers of anti-vice ombudsman as unconstitutional.

In January 2007, a five-member bench was constituted on a revised reference moved by the then president Pervez Musharraf against Hasba Bill passed by the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2006 where the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, a conglomerate of religious parties, was in majority.

On Monday, a three-member bench including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Muhammad Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani will resume hearing of the constitutional petitions filed under Articles 184 of the Constitution regarding protection of lives and property of the people of Balochistan.

On same day, a three-Judge bench of Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain will resume another issue of missing persons.

While a Shariate Appellate bench of Justice Tariq Parvez, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Dr Fida Muhammad Khan and Justice Dr Muhammad Al Ghazali will take up various cases.

On Tuesday, the three-Judge bench headed by the Chief Justice will conduct proceedings on an issue revolving award of contract of mining and exploration of Reko diq gold and copper mines in Balochistan province.

The same bench on Wednesday will resume progress on a suo motu case regarding contamination of water of Manchar Lake due to disposal effluent from MNV drain, besides, the issue of a constitutional plea filed by Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf over matter of preparation of electoral rolls after eliminating all the bogus entries. (APP)