Once a blue-eyed of the party leadership, PPP stalwart Dr Babar Awan suffered a double blow on Saturday as he was replaced with Qamar Zaman Kaira as the party’s member of the coveted Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) in the morning and later in the day, he was removed as the party’s vice president.
Though multiple sources in the ruling party said Awan had been removed as party’s vice president, an office which had no place in the party’s constitution, no official word was available to prove his removal. Apart from the party sources, media reports also suggested that Babar had been removed.
“No notification to this effect has been issued. Not to my knowledge,” President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said when approached for comments. PPP Secretary Information Qamar Zaman Kaira also expressed his ignorance. On December 29, 2011, PPP co-chairman President Asif Ali Zardari had appointed Awan as the PPP vice president. However, Awan caught the ire of the party leadership after he refused to appear before the apex court in contempt case against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Awan had been infuriated with Gilani after the appointment of PPP senior leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan as the PM’s counsel in the contempt case. Later, Awan also barred his close aide and the former secretary law Masood Chishti to appear before the court and this made President Asif Ali Zardari furious.
With his appointment, Awan had become the first vice president of the PPP as there was no precedence in the history of the PPP of appointments like president or vice president.
However, his appointment triggered a new controversy as traditionally, the PPP had always appointed chairman and vice chairmen and according to the party sources there was no mention of the office of president and vice president in the party’s constitution.
The official website of the PPP also reflected the same. On the party’s website, Nusrat Bhutto has been mentioned as Rehbar, chairperson, while the name of Benazir Bhutto has been reflected as the chairperson.
Bilawal Zardari Bhutto is the chairman, while Asif Ali Zardari has been mentioned as co-chairman.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani are vice chairmen while Jehangir Badr is mentioned as secretary general of the party. Apparently, the appointment aimed at accommodating the lawyer-turned-politician Babar Awan who had submitted resignation as law minister to represent the federation in presidential reference for reopening the case of PPP founding chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who was hanged in a murder case in 1979.
Dr Babar Awan is a writer of several books and is an orator who was made member of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) in 1997. He also served as finance secretary of the party in 2000 and was also awarded ticket of National Assembly for general elections held in year 2002, in which he lost.
He was later elected senator on the only seat of the PPP from Punjab in year 2005.
Being a lawyer, he defended several cases representing former PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto and his spouse Asif Ali Zardari. He also remained counsel of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto and Asifa Bhutto in the case of Peoples’ Foundation.
What goes up, must come down. Simple law of nature 🙂
I am very pleased that this man was brought down to earth. The next step is to lay this man 10 feet below the ground. Then every one above the ground will be peaceful. Khas Kum Jahan Paak
I wonder if we can get him to turn on zardari and gillani? We all know he can be bought. I would love to hear the inside story of this govt. Would make an interesting read.
One down. Will it be asking for too much if one hopes that Rehman Malik will be next?
Babar Jee! Hun Araam A?
Well imran khan will weilcome him with open arms!
Wrong reporting. Babar Awan was never appointed member of CEC of peoples Party. In fact he was not even the member of PPP other than doing a criminal case or two for the PPP, courtesy Haji Nawaz Khokar. PPP was re-organised in April 1998 and even in that party hierarchy he was no where to be found. I know it because I was a member of that CEC.
Typo: ……..appointed member of CEC of Pakistan People's Party in 1997.
Everyone is at liberty to let one's steam out.However the fact is Baber Awan has the skill of playing with the psyche of those,in the corridor of power and he used his skill successfully till recently. A recent exercise of caution for his self-interst,denuded him of his titles and entitlements. However he is likely to regain at the first opportunity when the rulers suffer from a fit of paranoia.
clash of egos brought him down. Otherwise, he was servicing zardari very well. He was deliberately kept on dubious party title by the boss.
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