News
Monday, July 15, 2013
‘Cold war’ starts between lawyers, AG on appointment of law officers* PML-N lawyers' wing is annoyed with party leadership for being 'ignored' in appointment of law officers
By Hasnaat Malik
ISLAMABAD: A cold war has started between the PML-N lawyers’ wing and Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) over the appointment of law officers.
Sources revealed to Daily Times that the PML-N lawyers’ wing is annoyed with the party leadership because the party’s lawyers are being ignored in the appointment of law officers. One group of PML-N lawyers has already held a meeting with senior leader Raja Zafarul Haq to express their concern in this regard. It must be noted that the PML-N leadership has appointed active members of the lawyers’ movement as law officers.
Muneer A Malik, who was the leading leader in the movement, has been appointed as chief law officer of the country on the recommendation of former Supreme Court judge Justice (r) Khalilur Rehman Ramday as well as Khawaja Muhammad Asif. Similarly, a large number of active members of the lawyers’ movement who are not associated with the PML-N have also been appointed as additional and deputy attorneys general.
In view of the appointments of law officers in AGP office, the sources informed that senior lawyers of the PML-N had demanded the party leadership to appoint party’s own lawyers as senior law officers in the country. They also said that PML-N’s senior leader Iqbal Zafar Jhagra had recommended a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lawyer, Atiq Shah, as law officer but his proposal was declined by the authorities concerned. Later on, the sources added, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra strongly protested within the party in this regard and now there is a chance that his nominee would be appointed as law officer very soon.
On the other hand, it has been learnt that AGP Muneer A Malik wants to appoint competent and experienced lawyers in his legal team, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given him full authority to do so. One senior lawyer of the PML-N admitted that party lawyers have expressed their concern regarding the appointment of law officers because the party leader ship had assured them that 25 percent of law officers would be taken from the party, but the AGP is ignoring them.
He also said that after immense pressure from them, former Punjab advocate general Shahid Karim has already resigned and Mustafa Ramday, son of Justice (r) Khalilur Rehman has been appointed as acting Punjab AG. The PML-N lawyer says that the Pakistan People’s Party had preferred its own party lawyers in the appointment of law officers then why is their party reluctant in engaging its counsels. Meanwhile, it has also been learnt that veteran lawyer Tariq Mahmood has declined PML-N’s offer to become law secretary. The sources said that now the names of one senior lawyer and a retired bureaucrat are under consideration regarding the appointment of law secretary.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk