PPP set to show door to Babar Awan's cronies
21 April, 2012
LAHORE: The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has sent a list of officials, appointed by former law minister Babar Awan, to party leadership for their termination from the posts, party sources told our sources on Friday.
Sources said that party workers and leaders turned against Senator Babar Awan after his refusal to be a witness in the prime minister's contempt of court case. After Awan's refusal, a new legal team was formed, headed by Aitzaz Ahsan. They also said the party would take stern action against him and his "blue-eyed officials" in upcoming days.
They said that the PPP leadership had already removed Babar Awan's brother Farooq Awan and close aide Masood Chishti from the Law Ministry. The party would take action against Babar's supporters, especially those who had never been PPP members, sources said, adding that Babar had also accommodated several supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Sources said PML-N stalwart Chaudhry Muhammad Ramzan Sohal's name was on top of the list. His brother Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin Sohal is a PML-N lawmaker. Sources said Ramzan was appointed legal adviser to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Babar's recommendations.
The list also includes Punjab Deputy Advocate General Shaista Qaisar's name, sources said, adding that she was a close aide of Justice (r) Malik Qayyum.
Sources said names of lawyers, including Sajjad Rabbani, Rana Ikram, Mazhar Lillah, Jahanzeb Wahla, were also on the list. Babar had given them membership of the Lahore High Court's Federal Standing Council. Sources claimed that the PPP workers had suggested its central leadership to take action against Babar and his aides.
In first week of April, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) had removed him from membership of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) and appointed former information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira in his place. The sources said the government had also decided to cancel contracts of all legal officers who were closed to Awan.
Babar is facing "a real hard time" these days, as a group is lobbying to sideline him. The same group has successfully removed him from the PCNS membership. Babar's close confidant alleged that the group was also active to remove him from the post of PPP vice president as well.
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