Gilani vetoed Awan’s reappointment as law minister

It was none other than a firm Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani who vetoed the presidential decision to reappoint Dr Babar Awan law minister when he told President Asif Ali Zardari that he would not approve the resignation of Law Minister Maula Bux Chandio and – even if Awan was appointed law minister against – he would not attend the oath-taking ceremony.
A well-placed source told Pakistan Today that following the apex court decision to temporarily suspend Awan’s licence and after engaging Barrister Aitzaz Ahsen to represent the prime minister in a contempt of court case in the Supreme Court, when Gilani learnt of the president’s decision, he sent a ministerial delegation led by Khursheed Shah to convince him not to reappoint Awan law minister.
Gilani’s opinion was that Awan’s appointment would send a negative message to the Supreme Court at a time when the executive and the judiciary were facing off. However, the source said, when the president did not budge, the prime minister called him and conveyed his unwillingness. “On this, it was agreed not to administer oath to Awan and it was also decided that he would be given some other ministerial slot and not the portfolio of law minister,” the source added.
Another source told Pakistan Today that Awan would not be given any portfolio but would be accommodated in the Senate by getting him re-elected upon his retirement in March. “There is a lot of resentment in the cabinet and the PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) over Awan’s reckless legal advice, which is being considered a main cause of the situation the government is faced with,” the source said.
It was learnt that after his licence was suspended, Awan went to the president and convinced him to reappoint him law minister because he could no longer represent the federation in the presidential reference to revisit the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case. The president had agreed and Chandio was asked to resign.
However, in the Senate, when Leader of the House Nayyar Bukhari, in the presence of Chandio, told the chairman to defer a bill as the law minister had resigned, the prime minister sprang into action, called Chandio to his parliament chambers and asked him to immediately dispel the impression before media that he had resigned.