Political spat: Shahbaz urged to stop blame game

Law minister says mature politics is the need of the hour.

KARACHI: Federal Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan requested the “Ameer of Lahore” to avoid bad mouthing the government while away from the country, in an apparent reference to Shahbaz Sharif’s statement issued in London against the Pakistan government and what he claimed was its lack of democratic culture.

“I request the Ameer of Lahore to please avoid issuing such kind of statements while abroad. Whatever you have to say, say so in Pakistan,” he said while briefing the media after presiding a meeting of Sindh law officers in the Sindh Assembly on Saturday.

Awan further said that if PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif is interested in parliamentary politics, he should come forward because the PPP have two more years to complete its democratic setup.

“There is no need for point scoring. Mature politics is the need of the hour,” he remarked.

Awan said that the accountability bill will be presented in parliament, and added that he has proposed winding up the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Regarding negotiations between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan People Party (PPP), Awan said that there is no deadlock between both coalition partners,” although the MQM has concerns over the Sindh home minister’s comments and added that their reservations will be addressed soon.

Earlier, addressing the additional advocate general, assistant advocate general and prosecutors who had come from different districts of the province, Awan said that he was receiving a number of complaints against Sindh’s law officers for not taking interest in government cases.

“The government has suffered huge losses due to lack of the interest of law officers and the remaining cases of properties worth billions of rupees are at your disposal,” he said.

The minister said that a solution to the problems faced by people of this country lay with impartial accountability, but unfortunately it had been politicised by past governments.

He added that the present government has established “double barriers” against aspiring dictators.

Efforts by the PPP government including the 18th and 19th amendments, the supreme judicial council and the NFC award, are all evident of its “excellent performance,” he said, adding “When we took over, Pakistan was in isolation and we rescued it from the grip of militants, who were about 60 kilometres away from capital.”

Regarding the probe into Benazir Bhutto’s assassination he said that it is the first murder case of any leader in the country in which suspects are under trial and added that no one will be spared if found guilty. He added that the investigation is complete and would soon be made public.

To a question regarding the involvement of intelligence agencies in hatching a conspiracy in Bhutto’s murder, the minister avoided comment, but did mention that no one was above the law, regarding the denial of former president Pervez Musharraf to present himself before any tribunal.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2011.