By Abdiqafar
Zulfikhar Ali Bhutto was the President of Pakistan from
1971-73. Bhutto was what we can describe as a benevolent dictator who used
every means to muzzle the media and silence the opposition parties. Bhutto
manipulated local lawyers who shied away from defending opposition politicians
in the courts. When the opposition politicians turned to foreign lawyers for help, Bhutto used the numerical strength of
representatives from his Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to pass a bill that
banned foreign lawyers to practice in Pakistani courts and therefore
effectively render the opposition politicians hopeless in the courts. However, in
1974, Zulfikhar Ali Bhutto was overthrown by the Pakistani army led by General
Muhammad Zia-Ul Haq. Bhutto was arrested & arraigned in court for various
charges among them murder of some of his opponents. No Pakistani lawyers
defended him. His family tried to solicit for legal help from British lawyers
and General Muhammad Zia-Ul Haq reminded them: “The law does not allow foreign lawyers to
practice in Pakistani courts."
Remember this law was passed by Bhutto's allies when he was the president. Anyway, with no good legal defense, he was found guilty, sentenced and executed on April 4th 1979. Zulfikhar Ali Bhutto died due to the law that he engineered & signed himself.
Back home, I will not be surprised tomorrow when an ethnic Somali Mp in Kenya are arrested on charges of terrorism and held incommunicado for up to 360 days for being suspects only. That’s the law he/she supported.
Remember this law was passed by Bhutto's allies when he was the president. Anyway, with no good legal defense, he was found guilty, sentenced and executed on April 4th 1979. Zulfikhar Ali Bhutto died due to the law that he engineered & signed himself.
Back home, I will not be surprised tomorrow when an ethnic Somali Mp in Kenya are arrested on charges of terrorism and held incommunicado for up to 360 days for being suspects only. That’s the law he/she supported.
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