'Government respects JUI-F's exit from coalition'

Babar Awan terms Maulana Fazl ur Rehman 'a seasoned politician' - says political disagreements are routine.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Babar Awan has said that the government respects the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam's (JUI-F) decision of leaving the coalition government.

Talking to the media outside the Supreme Court, Babar Awan termed Maulana Fazl ur Rehman 'a seasoned politician' who had taken the decision to quit the coalition according to his own vision and the government respects his decision. He added that such disagreements are routine matters in politics and everyone has a right to disagree.

Awan said the JUI-F remains an effective part of the Parliament as their party holds the chairmanships of the Councils of Islamic Ideology and Kashmir Affairs. The Law Minister also said that Prime Minister Gilani's decision to dismiss two ministers in the Hajj debacle would strengthen democracy.

FIA to probe Kazmi's brother-in-law

The Federal Investigation Agency has summoned former religious affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi's brother-in-law Abdullah Malik to interrogate him with regard to the Hajj scam. Malik has been summoned on December 18 in Islamabad after an audio tape was discovered in which a person can be heard asking Malik to ask the ex-federal minister to increase the Hajj quota.

Malik has alleged that the person who talked to him was Raja Tariq, who is a friend of former minister Ejaz ul Haq. He also maintained that Hamid Saeed Kazmi always turned down such requests.