President Asif Ali Zardari, who also heads the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), recently asked the apex court to review the death sentence awarded to Bhutto in 1979.
The PPP has described hanging of Bhutto, the founder of the party, as a “judicial murder”.
Awan, a close aide of Zardari, announced that he had resigned as a minister while appearing before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday. He presented a copy of his resignation to the bench, which is hearing a proposal for a review of Bhutto’s case.
The bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry adjourned the matter till Thursday so that Awan could get his resignation accepted by the prime minister and renew his lawyer’s licence with the Pakistan Bar Council.
Chaudhry asked Awan to come prepared for the detailed hearing and said everyone in Pakistan and abroad knew the importance of the President’s move to seek the Supreme Court’s advice on re-opening the case of Bhutto.
Published 13 April 2011, 17:43 IST