Saturday, September 21, 2013

PML-N succumbs to pressure of party lawyers

By Hasnaat Malik

ISLAMABAD: After facing internal criticism for not obliging to its own party lawyers, federal government has appointed dozens of Pakistan Muslim league – Nawaz (PML-N) lawyers as law officers.

It has been learnt that the government has appointed ruling party lawyers as law officers to end the confrontation, which is going on between PML-N lawyers’ wing and attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) over the appointment of law officers in first phase.

It must be noted that PML-N leadership appointed active members of lawyers’ movement as law officers after taking charge of the government.

But now the Law Ministry issued a notification about appointment of 41 law officers including PML-N Lawyers wing president Fazal ur Rehman Niazi. These deputy attorney generals as well as standing counsels would perform their duties in Islamabad High Court, Lahore High Court and Sindh High Court.

PML-N lawyers’ wing President Fazal ur Rehman Niazi has been appointed as deputy attorney general, who will perform his duty in IHC. Likewise, IHC Bar Association General Secretary Chaudhry Haseeb Mahmood is also appointed as standing counsel.

Similarly, the government has appointed several standing counsels in twin cities namely Malik Amjad advocate, Jahangir Khan, Kunzal Saadat Sidiqui, Malik Tariq Mahmood Awan, Tallat Abbas Mahmood, Muhammad Pervez Khan, Raja Khalid Mahmood Khan, Faisal Mahmood Raja, Mansoor Chaudhry, Raja Asif, Raja Ahsan Mahmood and Chaudhry Azhar Mahmmod.

Muhammad Javed Qasuri, Khawar Farooq, Muhammad Mahmood Khan, Mian Muhammad Nadim Gurecha and Mian Tariq are also appointed as DAGs in LHC.

In Sindh, the government has also appointed Jalaal Weshnu advocate, Muhammad Zahoor Baloch as DAGs.

Earlier, PML-N lawyers’ wing was annoyed with the party leadership because party’s lawyers were being ignored in the appointment of law officers.

One group of PML-N lawyers had met with senior leader Raja Zafarul Haq to express their concern in this regard. It must be noted that the PML-N leadership appointed active members of the lawyers’ movement as law officers after taking charge of the government.

Muneer A Malik, who was the leading leader in the movement, has been appointed as chief law officer of the country on recommendation of former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) 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 PML-N have also been appointed as additional and deputy attorneys general.

In view of the appointments of law officers in AGP office, the senior lawyers of the PML-N had demanded the party leadership to appoint party’s lawyers as senior law officers in the country.

Earlier, 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, Jhagra strongly protested within the party in this regard. Later on, Atiq Shah was appointed as Additional Attorney General for Pakistan.

Mustafa Ramday, son of Justice (retd) Khalilur Rehman has also been appointed as acting Punjab AG.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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