Pakistan

Sans amendment: Attorney general’s appointment challenged

Petitioner says govt has to amend Constitution before appointing capital’s first AG.

December 02, 2014

The appointment of the first advocate general (AG) for Islamabad has been challenged in the Islamabad High Court.

Mian Abdul Rauf was appointed by the federal government last month through a presidential order. However, the appointment was challenged by Muhammad Ashiq Bhatti, a resident of the capital, who said the government was bound to make a constitutional amendment before the posting could take place and requested the court to declare the appointment illegal.

Citing the secretaries of law and justice ministry and the cabinet division, along with the AG as respondents, the petitioner said the appointment is a flagrant violation of the Constitution.

The petitioner said before appointing the AG, the government failed to amend the law which is a compulsion as the AG is a provincial post and the governor of the province makes the appointment. He also pointed out that the notification of the AG’s appointment was not available on any government website and requested the court to direct the respondents to produce the notification before the court.

Justice Athar Minallah will take up the case today.

Notice issued to interior secretary in Khetran’s case

In a separate case, Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi issued notice to the interior secretary over the petition of PTDCL’s former MD Mir Shah Jahan Khetran who is seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List.

The petitioner’s counsel informed that court that the Ministry of Interior placed his name on the ECL despite earlier court orders for its removal.

He said the court in April had ordered removal of his name, however, the ministry has again placed it in the list which is illegal. The judge issued a notice to Interior Secretary Shahid Khan and sought a reply next week.

On December 1, 2013, the government removed Khetran from his post as the PTDC head as the National Accountability Bureau had initiated an investigation into alleged irregularities conducted by him. According to NAB, Khetran was allegedly involved in financial mismanagement, misuse of funds, and leasing out of PTDC property. He was arrested earlier this year but a two-member IHC bench granted him pre-arrest bail against a surety bond of Rs0.5 million.