New culture taking roots to plug chances of dictatorship: Babar Awan

Federal Law Minister Dr Babar Awan has said that a new culture was taking roots that has plugged the chances of dictatorship in the country.While addressing a dinner ceremony hosted in his honour by the central deputy information secretary Haidar Zaman Qureshi at a local hotel on Wednesday night, he said that the government finalized its first social contract in the form of the 18th Constitutional Bill that has not been challenged by any political party so far.
He said a new culture was taking roots in the country that has given birth to new questions. He added that democracy had been derailed in the country in the name of elimination of corruption. He said that five dictators decelerated country’s march to development and prosperity by over three decades. Dictators used to join hands to usurp power, however, the new culture has closed all back doors to power.
He regretted that international financial institutions provided liberal funding to dictators whenever they usurped power. However, it never happened during the democratic regimes, he added.
Babar Awan said that the government discontinued the condition of BA degree for election contest. He said that 160 cases of fake degrees were not tried during the Musharraf regime.
Babar Awan said that those eyeing democracy derailment on the basis of degree issue are mistaken adding that the 18th Amendment was like a China Wall erected in the way of dictators.
He added those who would derail democracy and usurp power would be treated as judicial accused in the eye of law.
The minister said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was the first leader who raised voice for national reconciliation and it was her vision that enabled the PPP to form a coalition government. The law minister said that there was no political prisoner in the country but made it clear that there was no room for thieves and absconders in the new culture.Institutions will be strong but no institution would be treated as sacred cow, he added.
Babar Awan said that trial of every murder case begins from the Sessions Court, however, the story of Bhagat Singh was repeated in the case of Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.Any such attempt would be stopped in future, he said.
He said that everybody knows about the decision taken in Zafar Ali Shah’s case.The minister said that it was the deprivations that prompted the people to raise voice for new province, however, it was not a political but an administrative issue.
The simple solution to this problem is that the Punjab cabinet should hold a meeting and distribute resources among the districts and tehsils on the basis of equality and as per the NFC Award. Babar Awan said that the new culture would guarantee rights to the people.
He said the PPP’s march of piety and truth would continue.The law minister said that lawyer’s services and struggle for promoting democratic culture was laudable and government would do whatever needed to facilitate them. He said the government had successfully solved the situation in Swat and Balochistan.
The federal law minister said that attempts were made to engage the government in non-issues, however, the government remained committed to national agenda aimed at development and prosperity of the country and would complete its five-year term.
He said that dialogue was the national culture of the country and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had established national centres across the country for the purpose. However, the country had to face sectarianism and ethnicity problems during the dictatorship regime, he added.
Senior Minister Raja Riaz, MPA Syed Ahmad Mujtaba Gilani, Senator Malik Salahuddin Dogar, MPA Malik Mohammad Amir Dogar and PM’s media coordinator Khawaja Rizwan Alam also spoke on the occasion.