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Saturday, October 22, 2011
Babar Awan calls on PML-N to stop using public institutions for politicsStaff Report
LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) central leader and former federal law minister Senator Babar Awan said on Friday that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders should stop using the shelter of public institutions for their politics and that if any official or person from the judiciary wanted to do politics, then he should resign from public office first.
Addressing a press conference at the residence of PPP Lahore Secretary Akbar Khan at Muslim Town, he said that the PML-N had spent more than Rs 1 billion from the public exchequer to hold a rally at Lahore on October 28 while they had no sound reason to launch such a campaign against the federal government at this stage.
He said that the nation was waiting for the judiciary to take suo motu action against the wastage of government funds on the said campaign of the ruling PML-N in Punjab. He said that the PML-N government was using DCOs and patwaris of different districts of the province in the rally.
Babar Awan said that there was no good governance in Punjab and that an average of seven citizens of Lahore were dying daily from dengue fever, but the leader of the PML-N, Nawaz Sharif, had gone on a foreign trip as he had no sympathy for his party voters. The PPP leader stated that the Sharif brothers had a habit for leaving country whenever there was a crisis, but that his party would not give them a chance to damage democracy in the country in future. He said that the PPP government would complete its tenure.
Saying that the Punjab government was directly responsible for the recent inflation in the province, he confirmed that the next general elections would be held in 2013 as per schedule and that the PPP had the solution to the problems being faced by the people of Punjab.
He claimed that not a single meeting of the provincial assembly had been called on the issue of dengue and that the cabinet had not been taken into confidence.
He condemned the provincial government for ceasing the political activities of some parties in the province and demanded the Pakistan Election Commission to take notice. He said the PPP would not allow anyone to flee from democracy and would also defend it from attackers.
Later, Babar Awan presided over a meeting of the office bearers of several bar associations at the state guest house, during which he heard the problems being faced by the associations. He said that it was a priority of the PPP government to facilitate lawyers without any political discrimination.
He demanded that the rules of the Supreme Court be amended and lawyers having an experience of five years be allowed to practice there. He directed the bar associations to form committees for transparent utilisation of funds. He also demanded that court procedure be improved and cases be heard on a priority and first-come-first-served basis.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk