ISLAMABAD: “Babar Awan was General Ziaul Haq’s energetic activist during his lifetime and even after his death. When PPP chief Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was in jail, Babar demanded hanging of Bhutto in public protests and distributed sweets in Rawalpindi courts on the day of his execution,” Ijazul Haq, the son of the third military ruler, confirmed to The News.
Babar Awan, however, declined to comment on the issue. Ijazul Haq also released to the media four pictures of a rally in Rawalpindi on Gen Zia’s anniversary in which Ijazul Haq and Babar Awan both made speeches.
Though different contemporaries of Awan used to narrate these stories and show extreme astonishment over Awan’s statements in praise of Bhutto, as during more than two and a half decades and till mid-90s, he always blasted ZAB and even abused him at times in different public rallies.
He also ran continuous protest campaigns demanding capital punishment for the revolutionary founding chairman of PPP when the latter was in jail in a murder case. But, now the relevant man, the son of Ziaul Haq and head of Zia-followers in Pakistan, has come on record and has confirmed Babar Awan’s heartiest affiliation with his father and enmity and hatred Awan always had in his heart for Bhutto. Ijazul Haq made many revelations during his exclusive interview with The News.
Ijazul Haq disclosed that Awan remained attached with him during the entire rule of his father and remained an activist against Bhutto. He said that Awan demanded public hanging of Bhutto and when ZAB was hanged, Babar was very happy and went to Rawalpindi courts where he distributed sweets among the lawyers.
He said that later he remained a sympathiser of his father. “Babar remained very active after my father’s death and used to conduct the proceedings of the anniversary of Shaheed Ziaul Haq as stage secretary,” said Ijazul Haq. He said that Babar Awan was given the honour to conduct the proceedings of the first death anniversary of his father as stage secretary on August 17, 1989.
Ijaz said that Awan’s love for his father further increased after his (Ziaul Haq) death as Babar became politically active. He said that Babar accompanied him to different processions and played ka ey role in success of Lal Kurti procession in the early 90s. Ijazul Haq disclosed that Babar Awan also invited him to his native village Matore (near Kahuta) to address a big public gathering to glorify the role of his father.
Ijaz said that Awan often used to visit the grave of his father to offer Fateha. Senior political leaders say that Babar remains with those who are in power and when they lose power and glory, he would look for the next party.
Babar Awan was repeatedly contacted for his version but he did not come on line on his cell and residence numbers. But when media persons asked Awan outside the Supreme Court building on Wednesday about distributing sweets on Bhutto’s hanging, he did not deny and simply said: ‘No comments’.
0 comments:
Post a Comment