Babar Awan

Zaheer-ud-din Babar Awan (born 27 January 1952; SI ), is a Pakistani politician, senior lawyer, author, analyst, columnist, and leftist writer who served as Adviser to Prime Minister for Parliamentary Affairs from April 2020 to 10 April 2022, and before that as the Federal Law Minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.

Babar Awan matriculated in 1971 and attended the Punjab University to study humanities.

In 1975, Awan graduated with a B.A. in Humanities, and later obtained Master of Science in Economics from the Punjab University in 1978.

In 1980, Awan moved to Karachi and attended the Karachi University to study law where he obtained LLB in civil law in 1986.

He began practicing law at the Sindh High Court, initially taking criminal cases.

Awan now lives in Islamabad.

His brother Ghulam Farooq Awan served as the advisor to Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gillani for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

He also served as the additional Attorney General of Pakistan.

His interest in politics grew in the 1980s while studying law at the Karachi University, and was an activist of the Peoples Students Federation— a youth wing of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

In 1996, he became member of the PPP and unsuccessfully contested for a provisional Murree seat for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on PPP platform during the general elections held in 1997.

In 2002, Awan unsuccessfully contested for the Islamabad constituency in the general elections, but conceded his defeat.

In 2004, Benazir Bhutto appointed Awan as the finance secretary of the Pakistan People's Party.

In 2006, Awan successfully contested for the indirect elections for Senate, and was elected unopposed.

Awan was present alongside prominent party leaders such as Ameen Faheem when the announcement of Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan was made.

Awan was present during the 19 October attack on Benazir Bhutto in Karachi, and then when Benazir Bhutto was killed in Rawalpindi.

Awan was the first one to announce Bhutto's death to the Pakistani public, outside Rawalpindi General Hospital which is now known as Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

Awan told the party workers outside the hospital, "I have just talked to Dr. Mussadiq, he has confirmed to me that Mohtarma (Benazir Bhutto) has been martyred."

After successfully contesting in general elections held in 2008, Awan was appointed as the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs as well as the Law Minister in November 2008.

Over many legal issues, Awan resigned from the Justice Ministry in 2011, but was brought back less than 48 hours later.

During this time, Awan was considered the right-hand man of then-President Zardari.

He was also given the Ministry of Information Technology.

In 2011, he resigned as minister to plead in the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto murder case.

In 2011, Awan published his first book called the Wakalat Nama [Urdu: وکالت نامۂ; Lawyers' diary], which was a collection of his columns and articles published in the newspapers of Pakistan from 1997 to 2009.

In November 2011, Awan published another book based on the arguments he made in court during the Karachi Conspiracy case.

The judges' bench of that case was led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

He is doing television programs from last many years, early he was doing an Islamic show on ATV and later he did Ikhtilafi Note on Neo TV.

He also served as a junior Pakistani Senator of Punjab Province from 2012 to 2017.

Later he joined PTI to serve as Member Executive Council of PTI.

He regularly writes and publishes on left-wing philosophy.

He extensively writes political columns in a leading Urdu newspaper, the Daily Jang, in support of social democracy and social justice.

On 2 May 2012, Awan was stripped of all his party posts by the Central Executive Committee of the PPP.

After Awan's sacking, it was expected that he would join another party although he remained a member of the PPP for another five years.

In June 2012, Awan claimed that he was receiving life threats and that his family was also being threatened.

He asked the concerned authorities to provide him with security.

In early 2013, Awan met Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan.

Rumours spread that Awan would soon join the PTI.

In early 2013, Awan began tweeting regularly.

He uses his Twitter account to make political statements and to maintain contact with his supporters.

By July 2013, Awan had 34,000 followers on Twitter.

On 21 June 2017 Awan announced that he will join PTI and with immediate effect step down from his seat in Senate.