Notification issued: Yousafzai retakes K-P advocate general’s chair

Acting governor had approved his appointment after interim advocate general resigned

PESHAWAR: Abdul Lateef Yousafzai has returned as the top lawyer of the province on Thursday after an official notification of his appointment was issued by the law department.

The notification was issued after Abdul Samad Khan, who had been appointed as the advocate general by the interim government for three months, had resigned earlier this month and had declined a request from the governor to continue in his post until a new appointment is made.

“Consequent upon the resignation of Abdul Samad Khan, K-P governor is pleased to appoint Abdul Latif Yousafzai as AG of the province,” read the notification.

The acting governor had approved on Wednesday Yousafzai’s appointment as the advocate general by utilising his power under clause-1 of Article 140 of the constitution.

The notification provided that he will hold office under the terms and conditions given in the K-P advocate general (Terms and conditions of services) rules 2005 amended in 2017.

Yousafzai has previously served as the advocate general of the province from 2013 to 2018 and defended the K-P government in a number of high-profile cases.

He had resigned from his post after the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) government completed its five-year term and the caretaker government was appointed in its stead. After Yousafzai’s departure, then caretaker chief minister Justice (retired) Dost Muhammad Khan had appointed Samad along with 26 law officers.

The appointment of the additional law officers by the caretaker K-P government, however, was challenged and the Peshawar High Court (PHC) struck them down as illegal.

A seasoned lawyer

Yousafzai is a seasoned lawyer with legal experience of more than 40 years particularly relating to commercial laws including company law, income tax, federal revenue matters such as customs, sales and central excise, labour laws and civil litigation including land disputes, rent matters, family disputes and alternative dispute resolutions.

He registered as an advocate in the PHC in 1976 and has been working as an advocate in the Supreme Court since 1981.

During his lifelong legal practice, he has held key government positions from time to time including the post of deputy attorney general of Pakistan, vice president, secretary and member of the executive body of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

Yousafzai has also worked as a deputy prosecutor general for the provincial National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chapter, from October 1999 to December 2011. He has also worked as a special prosecutor for the Federal Board of Revenue in Islamabad from 1986 to 1991.

His team of law officers, who worked with him from 2013 to 2018 but were removed by the caretaker government, have already been restored on the orders of the high court.

Thus, his old team will continue working with him.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2018.