The Pakistani Spectator

Dr. Zaheer-ud-din Babar Awan (born 27 January 1957) is a senator in Pakistan’s upper House , he is a leading practising lawyer and a member of Pakistan Peoples Party Central Executive Committee. Babar Awan won the Senate election in 2006 unopposed on the ticket of PPPP which was a parliamentary name of Benazir’s PPP.

Dr.Babar Awan was a student activist in his younger days , he was also president of his college.

He has done a 4 year long Sharia Law course in Saudi Arabia. He has also done B.A. and LLB. He is also a senior lawyer of Supreme Court. He first come to limelight in 1990’s when soon after second Benazir government was ousted several leading Pakistan Peoples Party figures were implicated in corruption cases by their then rivals Nawaz Sharif Government and many of the former used Babar Awan as their legal advocate . It was an uneasy time to side with PPP and several lawyers avoided protecting PPP leaders or civil servants associated with them .

When military government of Musharaf took over an accountability body “NAB” it carried out further so called “cleansing” but it often ending up with victimization of politicians who did not cooperate with Musharaf for his undemocratic credentials.

Over a period of time a huge collection of varied political leadership involving everybody not cooperating with Musharaf were implicated .This list was long and included the former chief minister of Punjab Manzoor Watoo , current PPP co-chairperson Asif Zardari , the personal secretary of Benazir Bhutto Nahid Khan’s husband and civil servants as Salman Farooqui who all used Dr.Babar Awan’s legal skills and oratory to good effect .

Born in a middle class family.He spent some time in middleeast and is a fluent Arabic speaker with good grounding in principles of Saudi orientated religious education despite being liberal in outlook personally .

Dr.Babar Awan had the singular luck of being in vicinity of first Karachi Bomb Blast in which an overseas cricket team was targeted , he was in the van of late Benazir Bhutto in Karachi when major Blast deformed it and he was also not too far from site of second Bhutto blast which was fatal for Benazir .

He was Benazir’s speech writer and her negotiating link while she was in Dubai. m as a younger brother.He was tipped to be senior minister had she been alive and in power. Dr. Babar was not an admirer of the deposed chief justice Ch.Iftikhar Hussain but he refused to take an open anti-Chaudry Iftikhar stand for the Musharaf Government .

Being an eloquest speaker in Urdu Language and possessing a good cammand of English language he is perhaps the best orator in the PPP top leadership which has been a factor in some US policy makers and senators taking interest in him and his vocal assessments .

Lately Dr.Babar Awan has taken to media in another form that is teaching Islamic law as per Quran , this has clicked so much that leading Islamic scholars of Pakistan like Dr.Israr Ahmed showed his inclination towards him in no uncertain terms in his magazine . It is thought that his pro-islamic stance was tolerated by Benazir Bhutto but it has been a burden in politics in prowestern Asif Zardari Government . Paradoxically Some foreign political forces including Arableaders of the region are looking for allies in person of his .

In spite of appearances on TV esp ATV (ATerrestial TV Channel) of an Islamicist , he wears western dress and is a keen exerciser , he does not drink or smoke and has three daughters two sons and a wife .

It was once thought that he might be the next attorney general of Pakistan or a law minister though he himself is rumoured to preffer parliamentary affairs . Sherry Rahman and Dr.Babar are said to be bitter rivals in intra party PPP politics with Babar being better orator and finance secretary of PPP while she is information secretary .

Dr.Babar has varied political base , he is supported by a wider range of political groups from ultraright Fazal-ur Rahman of JUI, middle lane Wattoo and Chatta of former ruling PML(Q) and even some sections of sidelined in nationa politics parties as SSP and MQM . His strongest power base is Kahuta and in support of other leading Awan Tribes which is strong in some parts of Punjab.

Babar was never a fan of otherwise very popular Nawaz Sharif but for the last two years not much fire was directed at Nawaz as coalition with PML(N) was contemplated and but his closeness with Musharaf’s establishment for benefit of PPP during Benazir’s exile worked again him within PPP after her death.

He is considered an expert criminal and especially murder lawyer but he also deals with political inspired corruption cases , corporate and financial cases. He himself faced internment during Nawaz period under concocted charges .He was not sentenced and rather was acquitted by the Nawaz Sharif’s government Antiterrorist court despite government’s pressure simply because the judge was a somewhat ill with early Liver disease related encephalopathy .

In personal appearance he is tall with light wheatish complexion , supporting a small beard with a minor beak of baldness despite hair transplants . Warm in welcoming he is softspoken and considered a very shrewd operator .

His latest political assignment has been to strengthen PPP in Baluchistan and to pacify Baluchis there .There is thus far no indication he has succeeded or failed in that but this is likely to bring him in contact with powerful army which has large presence in Baluchistan.

[edit] Controversies

In November 2008, Mr. Ansar Abbasi, Pakistan’s leading investigative journalist, released a story in a Pakistani newspaper about Mr. Babar Awan in which it was alleged that Mr. Awan’s PhD is from a fake university - Monticelo University. However, the defendants of Dr. Awan claim that Dr Babar Awan has a degree from the University of Arkansas at Monticello[1], which is genuine and that Mr. Ansar Abbasi must apologize to Dr Babar Awan.[2] The University is 100 years old and still in existence.

The critics of Dr. Babar Awan, the pro-Ansar Abbasi group, claims that Dr. Awan’s degree is from a fake university, whose details are available on the Department of Commerse and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Hawai, [1], which lists all the charges against this fake operation that sold degrees over the internet. Mr. Ansar Abbasi’s newspaper report is available here, [2].

Having been exposed for his fake degree from the so-called University of Monticello, Dr. Babar Awan has now fallen onto a backup story that his degree is actually from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. However, it is pertinent to note that this particular university does not even grant university degrees in any discipline whatsoever![3] So now Babar Awan claims to have a Phd from an institution that does not grant any phds (please see link listing all the degrees offered by said university).

Islamabad, Nov 17: The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the prime regulatory body for higher education in the country, has formally confirmed that the Monticello University, which had issued a doctorate degree to PPP Minister Babar Awan, is not an accredited university in the US.[4]