LAHORE – Federal Minister for Law Babar Awan has said that PPP-led government will not let anyone to become a hero on the Raymond Davis affair and nor would it yield to any international pressure. He was talking to journalists after visiting Mian Mir Shrine at the Punjab Bar Council here on Sunday.
“Cabinet belongs to the party instead of prime minister or president and leadership has prerogative to include whom it thinks better to serve the people,” he said. The statement came after PPP heavyweights were giving impression that former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had reportedly foiled any move to granting diplomatic immunity to Raymond Davis and government probably punished him by not giving him any slot in the new cabinet.
Some of the PPP leaders also fear his possible rise in political stature. Regarding the NICL scam, Babar said that only fault of PML-Q MPA Moonis Elahi was that he happened to be son of Pervaiz Elahi. He stressed the need to end the culture of revengeful politics. Responding to a question Awan said that some people had felt pain on warrants issued for Musharraf’s arrest, but, he said, the government would comply with the court orders in this regard.
He also denied any cut in salaries for government employees Babar said the cabinet would be further expanded soon and that the performance of ministers would be monitored. The Federal Law minister presented a check worth Rs 15.6 million to Punjab Bar Council officials while allocating another Rs 20 million fund for a hospital being built for lawyers.
He said that committee formed for the preparations of roundtable conference called by president would hold its first meeting next week. He said that after the 18th and the 19th amendments, there was no room for any dictatorship in future.
