Dual office case: LHC questions Qadir, Sajjad’s absence

Additional AG informs court that the AGP was absent due to a strike call given by Pakistan Bar Council.

LAHORE: The full bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) expressed its displeasure on Thursday over the absence of Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Irfan Qadir and counsel for the federation, Wasim Sajjad while hearing the contempt of court petition against President Asif Ali Zardari in the dual office case. Additional Attorney General Abdul Hayee Gilani informed the court that the AGP was absent due to a strike call given by Pakistan Bar Council (PBC). Qadir is the chairman of the PBC. To this Chief Justice of LHC remarked that if the chief law officer is on strike, then what about the other lawyers? The CJ asked Gilani to summon the AGP and counsel for the federation on Friday (today), as the court is holding day-to-day proceedings, to which Gilani said that the AGP would be unable to appear before the court on Friday as well. The CJ adjourned the hearing till January 14.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2012.