By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said that the special court’s decision to hand former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf a death sentence in the high treason case against him was a “historic” one.
Earlier today, a three-member bench of a special court, in a landmark verdict, handed a death penalty to Musharraf in a long-drawn treason case. The former president has been convicted for abrogating the Constitution and imposing an emergency in the country in 2007.
During a conversation with reporters in Ghotki today, Bilawal said: “We are hopeful that now, after this democratic verdict, our courts will continue to issue democratic rulings.
“In the past, our institutions always stood with non-democratic forces. After this verdict, we can hope that our courts will side with justice and democracy for all days to come.”
When a reporter asked if the politicians, who stood by Musharraf when he imposed martial law in the country, should receive punishment as well, the PPP chief said: “There is a lot of debate as to the scope of the treason law and whether it should [have included] the 1999 incident [coup] or the 2007 incident. But we should talk about what is in front of us […] It is a historic decision.”
The PPP chief said that the party will “read carefully” the detailed verdict, once it is issued.
He lamented that several cases, including that of the murder of his mother, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, were still pending in courts and demanded that they be picked up as well.
Bilawal hailed the bails granted to PPP leadership, including Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur, Khursheed Shah and Agha Siraj Durrani.
“All the players of PPP are out now, we will struggle together and this government will go home soon,” he declared.
