Standing by the court: Babar Awan says he has been getting death threats but won’t flee

‘I respect the Chief Justice of Pakistan but only institutions are permanent’.

LAHORE:

Former federal law minister Babar Awan, on Thursday, announced his full support for the Supreme Court, adding that it was highly improper to demand a resignation from Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

“I might have some differences with certain people but being a lawyer I stand by the Supreme Court,” Awan said.

He said he respected the chief justice but institutions and not people had permanent status.

Speaking with the media at the Lahore High Court, Awan declined comment on Arsalan Iftikhar’s case, saying the matter was sub-judice. He condemned the demand for the resignation of the chief justice and said it was time for everyone to stand by the apex court.

Babar also revealed that he was receiving death threats and demanded an investigation into the matter.

“Our institutes which run on pubic taxes should trace out the conspirators who want to kill me” Awan said. He said Asma Jahangir had also expressed similar concerns but law enforcement agencies had paid no heed.

He said he had been receiving death threats from three different mobile numbers.

He said he was not afraid and would not leave the country.

Answering a question that Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa had said he had played the role of a traitor, he said, “Who is she?” He said when a number of people left Benazir Bhutto in 1996 he had stood by her.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2012.