Babar Awan taunts PML-N leadership

Former law minist­er says the PML-N is ‘not ready to sit with any major politi­cal party’.

LAHORE:

Lashing out against rulers in Punjab and taunting the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), former federal Law Minister Senator Dr Babar Awan said that the government at the centre would have to step in to procure surplus wheat from growers in the province.

Speaking at a seminar on ‘Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Constitution and Justice’ held at the Aiwan-e-Iqbal on Saturday, Awan accused the provincial government of extravagantly spending billions of rupees on the Kalma Chowk flyover while ignoring the plight of farmers, who still had massive amounts of extra grain, but nowhere to sell it. He assured the growers that the federal government would not abandon them in their hour of need, adding that the Punjab government had failed to address farmers’ issues.

Criticising Nawaz Sharif, the former law minister said that the PML-N chief, who had come back to the country after a gap of two months, was persistently criticising the federal government under the garb of patriotism. He said that a politician who chose to flee from the country at a critical time had no right to criticise security institutions, including the army.

Censuring the PML-N leadership for using Punjab Elite Force for security during the visit to Sindh, he said that the move had conveyed a “wrong message to the smaller province”.

He reminded the PML-N chief that neither Benazir Bhutto, Muhammad Khan Junejo nor Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had “brought security men from their own provinces when they visited Punjab”.

He said that the PML-N leader needed to answer why he did this when he visited Sindh. Urging Sharif to personally respond to his queries, Awan said he needed to answer “four more questions”.

He reminded the audience that the PML-N chief had remained in power for eight months after the Kargil Operation. “Why did Nawaz Sharif rush to the US, instead of approaching Parliament? Nawaz Sharif should also inform (the people) why (did he not summon a) joint session of parliament on the Aimal Kansi issue. He should also tell the nation when he would return the money collected during the ‘qarz utaro, mulk sanwaro scheme,’” the former law minister said.

According to Babar Awan, the PML-N was “not ready to sit with any mainstream political party”.

“PML-N can’t sit with the MQM or Q-League. It is also uncomfortable with the ANP. The PML-N leader should inform us of the party with whom he is comfortable with,” he said. He said that how can a man who left the country after “tendering an apology” talk about national pride and integrity.





Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2011.