Awan wants judicial probe into Shahbaz's statement

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Finance Secretary, Babar Awan, has said his party has taken a serious note of the statement made by Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, expressing that his life could be endangered by President Asif Ali Zardari.

"The PPP condemns the irresponsible statement by Shahbaz Sharif and asks the chief justice to institute a judicial inquiry and nominate a senior judge to inquire into the statement," he said, while addressing a press conference here at the Press Information Department (PID) on Monday.

Awan, who is also a close aide of President Zardari, said: "No politician has ever made such a statement in the past and so a judicial inquiry should be set up.î He said the PPP had never believed in politics of slogans and always took practical steps for the betterment of the people. He said President Zardari was the only president of Pakistan elected through a two-thirds majority.

Awan said the PPP would continue its policy of reconciliation and dialogue and would work for the consolidation of democracy and democratic institutions. He rebutted the statement of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, about alleged hindrances in the working of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and said the government extended full cooperation to the committee led by Chaudhry Nisar. "Nobody will be allowed to create hurdles in the working of the PAC. I hope politicians will avoid point scoring," he added.

APP adds: Urging the Punjab government to make public the inquiry report on the murder plan of former LHC chief justice Khwaja Sharif, Awan said according to his information, some senior officials in the provincial bureaucracy had been nominated in the report.

INP adds: Awan said accounts considered by the PAC until now related to the Musharraf government and the PPP had no connection or concern with them. He also pointed out that the PAC had so far not seen the latest report of the auditor general.