Pak Law Minister nominates himself for lucrative foreign assignment

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Law Minister Babar Awan has reportedly nominated himself for an international assignment worth millions of dollars.

According to reports, the Law Ministry has put Awan’s name at the top of the four-member list of legal experts recommended to the International Arbitration Forum for future assignments at the International Arbitration Court (IAC),

It is believed that a former Supreme Court judge and a former attorney general, who had backed the proclamation of emergency of November 2007, have also been nominated for the assignment.

When asked about the issue, Awan denied of any knowledge about the panel, saying that he had not been consulted on the matter.

However, he later said that somebody in his ministry had put his name on the list without his consent.

“I have ordered an inquiry into the incident and have also ordered for withdrawal of my name,” The Dawn quoted Awan, as saying.

He added that he knew nothing of the other nominees.

Meanwhile, a former Lahore High Court judge, Malik Saeed Khan, who has been nominated by Pakistan in an international arbitration involving France and Pakistan over the nuclear reprocessing plant dispute, said lawyers recommended by various countries are put on a panel from which parties to a dispute choose experts from.

“Lawyers who are finally selected from the panel by the disputing international parties get paid up to millions of dollars in fee,” Khan said. (ANI)