Money not going to individuals: Awan

Law Minister Babar Awan said on Sunday he was not involved in ‘blame games,’ adding that leaders should care less about petty politics and more about institutions.

He said that nobody in Pakistan would be allowed to harm the country’s institutions.

Speaking at a ceremony held to distribute cheques among the presidents of district and tehsil bar associations here at the Governor House, Awan said the money he was handing out was not going to individuals, but to the institution of judiciary.

“Grants are being given through cheques and not in cash and this money is not going to individuals,” he said.

Awan said Pakistan’s judicial system was an asset and the government will safeguard it. He said the relationship between institutions was defined by the constitution to be conducive to harmony, respect and the balance of power. He said: “Lawmakers ensure the implementation of the constitution and no one should expect that they could create an atmosphere in which major institutions clash.”

He said he would visit all bar associations across the country to listen to the problems of the lawyers’ community so that steps could be taken for their welfare.

Awan said he was shocked to see that lawyers’ problems had not been addressed before. He regretted that some people wanted to stop lawyers from receiving grants.

He also said that democracy could not flourish in Pakistan without the participation of lawyers and the masses.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2010.