One name that is discussed as often as President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the current setup is that of the over-ambitious former law minister Senator Babar Awan.

Soon after losing his bar licence on Tuesday, Mr Awan was keen for a quick rebound. Rumour has it that upon hearing of the suspension of his licence, the lawyer drove off to the Presidency to redeem his post as the law minister from which he had resigned a few months back to pursue the Bhutto reference in the apex court.

In a meeting that was attended by the sitting law minister, Maula Baksh Chandio, the president seemed willing to take his friend back as the law minister.

This perception was strengthened by the fact that later, in the evening, Mr Chandio refused to take up his business in the Senate. Leader of the House Senator Nayyer Bokhari had to ask the chair to defer the 20th Amendment since there was no law minister, de-spite the fact that Mr Chandio was sitting right next to him.

However, after some more deliberations, the PPP leadership clarified that it was not reinstating Mr Awan as the law minister.

Reports are dropping in thick and fast that the PPPleadership in order to avoid a confrontation with the judiciary has ordered Dr Awan not to air his opinions on the issues bedeviling the government.

For years, Mr Awan had been the sole legal face of the party, so much so that it was known by all and sundry that President Zardari would not hear anyone else besides him on legal issues.

Hence, the cameo appearance of Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan on the eve of late Benazir Bhutto's death anniversary at Naudero and his regular contact with the president sent shockwaves across the party.

Some have gone so far to suggest that Senator Awan's heady days in the party are over.

For the past many months, Senator Awan had virtually taken over the responsibility of government's chief spokesperson and could be heard defending it anything under the sun, be it Supreme Court rulings or to match Pakistan Mulsim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) criticism.

Insiders claimed that Mr Awan was the president's most trusted man and his late night session with President Zardari were open secrets within the PPP rank and file.

Commenting on the recent developments and the sudden emergence of Aitzaz Ahsan in the PPP, former Attorney General Anwar Masood said that Mr Awan had not lost the confidence of the party leadership.

'I believe just to avoid a negative effect on the prime minister's case, who has also been servedwith a contempt notice, the government has stopped short of taking him back as law minister. Otherwise, I don't think there is any change in the nature of the relationship between the president and former law minister,' said theformer attorney general, and referred to his recent appointment as vice president of the PPP.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Masood fully endorsed the perception which many shared within PPP leaders that Babar Awan was the president's top confidant. 'Mr Awan's opinion prevails all other opinions from party men,' he said, 'and even though Mr Chandio is the law minister, Mr Awan controls everything in the ministry.

It is pertinent to mention here that Mr Masood had to resign from his post April 2010, because, he alleged, Senator Awan (the then federal minister for law and justice) did not facilitate him, and deliberately created hurdles for him.

Another senior PPP leader on the issue said that ever since the party leadership had slipped into the hands of President Zardari, there had been a lotof resentment among old-timers over the preferential treatment extended to Mr Awan.

Many senior PPP leaders, off the record, attribute the majority of the PPP's on-going travails to Mr Awan's influence over the president.

In recent meetings, especially since the issuance of the contempt notice to the prime minister on January 16, party leaders have openly voiced their concerns over Mr Awan's role in exacerbating the tensions between the executive and judiciary.

'We have categorically asked Mr Zardari not to choose Mr Awan to represent the prime minister in the court because he was already facing two contempt charges and that would not help the government's case, said a sitting PPP minister.

He did concede that with Aitzaz Ahsan's coming back to the party, there has been a change of hearts and Mr Awan will not be able to command his earlier influence on the party.

However, Senator Awan is a seasoned and shrewd politician and party worker if his chequered political life is to go by and should he go by his instincts that have helped him create his flourishing political career he will just do fine.

In the 1970s and 1980s, he tried his luck with different political parties before becoming part of the PPP.

During his college days in the 70s, he was associated with Jamiat, the student wing of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI). Then through Raja Zafarul Haq, a senior PML-N leader, he remained close with the Zia regime.

However, he picked PPP in the 90s and it was his unflinching loyalty during those days when the late BB was facing court cases where he represented her in courts without charging any fee that earned him respect within the party.

Later on, he acted as the chief counsel of President Zardari during his long incarceration, which further strengthened his position within the party. All

his efforts paid off when Benazir Bhutto awarded him a Senate ticket in 2006, and then he turned out to be the most powerful figure when the PPP came into power in March 2008.

Will Mr Awan's past association help him survive the recent developments is certainly worth watching out for.