The federal government has hired Dr Babar Awan as its counsel in journalist Saleem Shahzad’s abduction and murder case, to be heard by the Supreme Court today (Monday). A senior official of the Law Ministry told Pakistan Today on Sunday that the government had hired Dr Awan and he would appear in court today to represent the federation in the case. A two-member Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Amir Hani Muslim will resume hearing of the petition filed by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) against Shahzad’s murder.