Premier Nawaz sends AGP packing

Salman Butt was apparently axed for failing to block Musharraf’s exit

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif showed the door to the federation’s top law officer Salman Aslam Butt on Monday because he apparently lost the case related to the removal of Pervez Musharraf’s name from the no-fly list.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the resignation of AGP Salman Aslam Butt and replaced him with Ashter Ausaf, who was working as special assistant to the PM on legal affairs.



Butt was appointed as the top law officer in January 2014, reportedly, due to his close association with the premier. He returned the favour by providing relief to the federal government in a number of cases.

In some instances, instead of engaging local counsel, Butt himself represented the government of Pakistan before international courts. Legal experts were quick to brand him as the ‘most successful AGP’ of the decade.

But he met his Waterloo in the Musharraf case, earning him the wrath of the top legal eagles of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) who were unhappy with Butt’s conduct and called for his replacement.

On March 16, an important day in Pakistan’s legal history, Khawaja Muhammad Haris, Akram Sheikh, Shahid Hamid and Mustafa Ramday were present in Courtroom No-1 of the Supreme Court, when the larger bench dismissed the federal government’s plea against Sindh High Court order to remove Musharraf’s name from the Exit Control List.

Butt lost the case and the government simply allowed the ex-dictator to fly off to Dubai. A senior PML-N leader claims AGP Butt was much closer to the defence and therefore, he was shown the door.

Despite several attempts, Butt was unavailable for comment about his sudden resignation. However, another law officer, who talked with the former AGP said that Butt resigned because his personal practice was suffering.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th,  2016.