Babar Awan facts for kids

Zaheer-ud-din Babar Awan (Urdu: ظہیر الدین بابر اعوان) is a Pakistani politician and a senior lawyer. He has also written books and articles.

He worked as an Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan for Parliamentary Affairs from April 2020 to April 2022. Before that, he was the Federal Law Minister. He also served as a Senator for Punjab Province from 2012 to 2017. Later, he joined the PTI party.

Babar Awan often writes political articles for the Daily Jang newspaper. He supports ideas like social fairness and helping people in society.

Early Life and Education

Babar Awan finished high school in 1971. He then went to the Punjab University. There, he studied subjects like history and literature.

In 1975, he earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. Later, in 1978, he received a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Economics from the same university.

In 1980, Babar Awan moved to Karachi. He studied law at Karachi University and earned his Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree in 1986. After that, he started working as a lawyer at the Sindh High Court. He first handled cases related to crime.

Today, Babar Awan lives in Islamabad. His brother, Ghulam Farooq Awan, also worked in government. He was an adviser for law and justice to former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.

Political Journey

Starting in Politics

Babar Awan became interested in politics in the 1980s. This was while he was studying law in Karachi. He was active in the Peoples Students Federation. This group was for young people who supported the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). In 1996, he officially became a member of the PPP.

He ran in the 1997 Pakistani general election but did not win. He tried again in the 2002 Pakistani general election but also lost. In 2004, Benazir Bhutto, a famous political leader, made him the finance secretary of the PPP.

In 2006, Babar Awan was elected as a Senator without anyone running against him. He was with other important party leaders when Benazir Bhutto announced her return to Pakistan. He was also present during an attack on her in Karachi in 2007. Later, when Benazir Bhutto was killed in Rawalpindi, Babar Awan was the first to tell the public about her death. He shared the sad news outside the hospital.

Working as a Minister

After the 2008 Pakistani general elections, Babar Awan became a minister in November 2008. He was appointed as the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and the Law Minister.

He resigned from the Justice Ministry in 2011 but returned to his role very quickly. During this time, he was seen as a very close helper to the President, Asif Ali Zardari. He also briefly held the Ministry of Information Technology. In 2011, he resigned to work on a specific court case. In May 2012, he lost his positions within the PPP party.

After leaving his party roles, many thought he would join another party. He stayed with the PPP for five more years. In 2013, he met Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. People started to think he would join PTI.

On June 21, 2017, Babar Awan announced that he would join PTI. He also stepped down from his seat in the Senate.

After PTI won the general election in 2018, he was appointed as an adviser to the Prime Minister on parliamentary affairs. He resigned from this role in September 2018. Later, an investigation against him was closed, and he was not found guilty.

Other Activities

Writing and Columns

In 2011, Babar Awan published his first book called Wakalat Nama. This book was a collection of his articles and columns that had appeared in Pakistani newspapers. In November 2011, he published another book. This book was based on his arguments in a court case about events in Karachi.

Babar Awan also uses Twitter to share his political views and connect with his supporters.

Television Work

Babar Awan has worked on television for many years. He hosted an Islamic show on ATV. Later, he was an analyst on a show called Ikhtilafi Note on Neo TV.

Working with Other Parties

The PPP party often asked Babar Awan to talk with other political parties. He has strong support from his own Awan family group. His political support comes from his hometown. His older brother was also a member of the Pakistan People's Party. Another one of his brothers works for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in Punjab.

In 2011, Babar Awan helped the PPP make an alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League. This made the PPP government stronger. He also talked with the PPP's partner, the MQM. His nephew, Shakeel Awan, is a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) and was a member of the National Assembly. He is now an active member of PTI.

Books

• وکالت‌نامه / Vakālat nāmah, Lahore : Jumhūrī Publications, 2010, 486 p. This book is a collection of articles he wrote about Pakistan's politics and government.
• کراچى قتل عام : از خود نوٹس سپريم کورٹ آف پاکستان / Karācī qatl-i ʻām : az k̲h̲vud noṭis Suprīm Korṭ āf Pākistān, Lahore : Jumhūrī Publications, 2011, 112 p. This book is about his arguments in a court case concerning civilian killings in Karachi.
• رجیم چینج اور توہینِ ریاست ضیا، مشرف اور قمر باجوہ کے تنازعے / Regime Change aur Tauheen e Riasat : Zia, Musharraf aur Qamar Bajwa ke Tanazay, Lahore : Jumhūrī Publications, 2023, 224 p.

Images for kids

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  Supreme Court of Pakistan