Babar resigns to plead ZAB reference | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Babar resigns to plead ZAB reference

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan resigned from the cabinet on Wednesday to plead the presidential reference sent to the Supreme Court for revisiting the execution of PPP founder Z.A. Bhutto after he was sentenced to death by the Lahore High Court in 1978 and the verdict was upheld by the then Supreme Court.

His resignation was accepted by the president who is on an official visit to Turkey.

“President Asif Ali Zardari, on the advice of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Babar Awan from the office of federal minister,” a notification issued here by the cabinet division said.

“In terms of Article 92(3) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the president, on the advice of the prime minister, has been pleased to accept resignation tendered by Babar Awan, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Information Technology, from the office of Federal Minister, with immediate effect,” it said.

Talking to reporters outside the Supreme Court, Mr Awan said that in several instances sitting ministers had fought cases in courts but he had resigned because people had rendered greater sacrifices for the cause of the late Bhutto and the ministry was a temporary thing for him and not of much importance.

Earlier in the day, a meeting of the federal cabinet approved the resignation of Mr Awan.
Source: Dawn
Date:4/14/2011