Attorney general steps down

The country's top law officer, Barrister Shehzad Ata Elahi, on Friday resigned from his position of attorney general for Pakistan (AGP).

Sources revealed to The Express Tribune that Elahi was asked to resign. However, there was no official confirmation regarding his resignation.

It was learnt that the federal government had appointed him as the AGP on the recommendation of one section of the superior judiciary.

Now, the government had given a message to the section of judges who had halted the appointment of Mansoor Usman Awan as the AGP. Earlier, the government had no choice but to appoint their recommended lawyer on the same post.

Elahi, who enjoyed a good reputation in the legal fraternity became a victim of the ongoing clash between the judiciary and the executive.

Regarding the new appointment, the sources revealed to The Express Tribune that the government was considering various options and the appointment would be made in view of the composition of benches in high-profile cases.

Now, the government was again considering the name of Awan for the same slot. However, one section within the government believed that if the composition of benches would not be fair, Irfan Qadir would be the best option to raise objections on the benches.

Elahi had a good reputation for his hard work, integrity, and understanding of legal issues. He was also a young corporate lawyer with experience in commercial, tax and banking laws, civil, commercial, corporate, constitutional litigation etc.

Elahi belonged to the famous law firm, Cornelius, Lane and Mufti.

Interestingly, Supreme Court’s Justice Ijazul Ahsan also worked with the said firm before his elevation to the bench.

Hamid Khan and Salman Aslam Butt were senior members of that firm and former chief justice Jawad S Khawaja had also worked with it.