LAHORE, Aug 16: Attorney General of Pakistan Malik Muhammad Qayyum has said he is willing to return a disputed fund of Rs100 million to the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) along with a Rs10 million interest on a 24-hour notice.

Mr Qayyum told Dawn here on Thursday that he would return the amount to Justice Tariq Mahmood (retired).

Earlier, the attorney general had sought an undertaking from the SCBA that the funds would only be spent on the welfare of lawyers alone.

“I was afraid that funds might go to the salaries of the bar staff because they (SCBA) don’t have any money,” Qayyum said.

To Mr Qayyum’s contention, Justice Tariq Mahmood (retired) on Aug 8 had submitted an undertaking on behalf of SCBA president Munir A Malik, stating the funds when returned would not be used for any purpose other than lawyers’ welfare.

When contacted, Mr Mahmood said Mr Qayyum as well as SCBA president Munir A Malik had agreed upon my name to have the controversy over funds resolved.

He said Mr Qayyum had called him, after he gave an undertaking, and told him that he would have the money transferred to the account of the SCBA in a day, but nothing transpired.

Asked if he would respond to Mr Qayyum’s offer, he said he would like either Qazi Anwar Mahmood or Mirza Aziz Baig to take up the matter of return of the funds. He said he had earlier gone to Mr Qayyum’s office in connection with the return of money but his meeting sent wrong signals to the lawyers’ community.

Because of the official status of Mr Qayyum, the grapevine thought that an effort was afoot to divide the lawyers’ community. He said he would talk to former SCBA president Hamid Khan to consider the offer and make a move for the return of bar funds.

The controversy over funds surfaced when Mr Qayyum as SCBA president received funds and later transferred it to a trust he formed in his name with two other members.