Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Tuesday said the nation still awaits justice in cases of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

“We expect justice from the judiciary even today,” Bilawal said while addressing the Lahore High Court Bar Association here. He said the first target of dictatorial forces is always the rule of law. “We fought dictatorships of Ayub, Zia, Yahya and Musharraf with the bar associations at our side. The Lahore High Court Bar is a body that has served as a vanguard in struggle against dictators,” he said, adding that democracy in Pakistan is connected with freedom of expression and human rights. “A lawyer – Quaid-e-Azam – struggled for and won us Pakistan. Unfortunately, with his untimely demise, Pakistan remained without a constitution for decades … until another lawyer – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto – gave Pakistan its first constitution on August 14, 1973. It was due to immense struggle by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that Parliament was held country’s supreme institution,” he added.

Bilawal said Zia ul Haq ended the government with bloodshed and broke the constitution. “The most popular prime minister was assassinated through a fraud judicial process. Zia ul Haq jailed and killed thousands of PPP workers. Political activists and lawyers were punished,” he said. “The entire aim of Zia ul Haq and Musharraf’s dictatorships was to break the constitution and corrupt the country’s institutions and systems,” he added. Bilawal said the PPP government always struggled for and maintained the supremacy of the constitution and the parliament. “A judicial reference against Bhutto’s murder is still pending in the court. I ask bar and the bench to give justice to Bhutto.

If Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto do not get justice, where will the common man go?” he asked, alleging that courts have misused suo motu powers in the past. “The bar and the bench should review the mechanism of appealing suo motu decisions. PPP wants women judges to be in the higher judiciary as well. Of the 106 high court judges, only six are female,” he said, adding that it is sad to note that despite Benazir Bhutto appointing five woman judges to the high courts, there have been no woman judges elevated to the Supreme Court.

Bilawal said access to justice is the cornerstone of the rule of law. “Access to justice for the marginalized and oppressed sections of the society should be made possible,” he said, adding that justice for victims of sexual violence should also be dispensed speedily. “Under the current selected, imposed government, we are witnessing a neo-dictatorship. Just like dictatorships, Pakistan is in the throes of fascism and our fundamental rights are being ripped away. The current regime has picked up where Zia and Musharraf left off … and let be very clear: they will not stop”, he deplored, and urged upon the people to join his struggle for the economic and democratic rights of the people.