Pro-PML-N lawyers active to replace AGP
09 December, 2013
ISLAMABAD: As Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is retiring this week, pro-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawyers have been active to replace Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Munir A Malik.
Sources told that PML-N senior lawyers had started lobbying for the appointment of former Punjab advocate general Ashtar Ausaf Ali as AGP after the CJP's retirement.
"PML-N lawyers believe that AGP Munir A Malik has failed to defend the government's stance in missing persons case; therefore he should be remove immediately," sources added.
It is to be noted that a cold war is continued between the PML-N lawyers' wing and AGP over the appointment of law officers because Munir A Malik had ignored PML-N lawyers and appointed active members of lawyers' movement as law officers in first phase.
Later on, after facing internal criticism for not obliging to its own party lawyers, the federal government on September 20 appointed dozens of PML-N lawyers as law officers. Munir A Malik, who was the leading leader in the lawyers' 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 because AGP Munir A Malik appointed competent and experienced lawyers in his legal team, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had given him full authority to do so. Senior lawyers also believe that Munir A Malik as AGP is performing very well and federal government should continue him for this job. It is learnt that there are chances that AGP Munir A Malik and Supreme Court Registrar Dr Faqir Hussain might themselves resign soon.
The Supreme Court Bar Association has already demanded that the SC remove its registrar immediately because he was the "responsible for lawyers-police clash" on the Supreme Court's premises. The SCBA is also indecisive about giving a farewell dinner to CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Meanwhile, it is learnt that AGP Munir A Malik has rejected the Defence Ministry's request to transfer the missing persons cases from Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokhar to any other senior law officer, and conveyed that if the ministry had no trust on AGP office then it might engage a private counsel in this case.
The Defence Ministry has written a letter to the AGP stating that Tariq Khokhar had misquoted the defence secretary about a fact which was never stated by him. "The conduct of AAG is against the professional ethics and may cause damage to the service interest. This has caused lack of trust on the AAG," the letter further said. On the other hand, AAG Tariq Khokhar has submitted a written reply to the AGP that contents of the ministry's letter are incorrect and denied.
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