The reference initiated by President Asif Ali Zardari under Article 186 of the Constitution was filed by federal law secretary Masood Chishti before registrar of the apex court last week. "Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is pleased to fix the reference received from President, Islamic Republic of Pakistan under Article 186 of the Constitution for revisiting the case of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in the court on April 13", says a statement issued by Supreme Court on Monday.
By invoking Article 186 of the Constitution, President Asif Ali Zardari has sought Supreme Court opinion on the death sentence by the Lahore High Court which was subsequently upheld by the apex court in March 1979. Bhutto was hanged to death on April 4, 1979. Article 186 of the constitution reads: "If, at any time, the President considers that it is desirable to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court on any question of law which he considers of public importance, he may refer the question to the court for consideration".