April 19, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 12, 1429

PESHAWAR, April 18: Appoin-tments on key posts in the NWFP Advocate General’s office have become a bone of contention between the lawyers affiliated with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP).

The provincial government has appointed lawyers attached to the ANP against seven posts of additional and deputy advocates general, but members of the Peoples Lawyers Forum (PLF) are demanding 50 per cent share in this regard.

PLF members during a meeting on Friday criticised their provincial organiser Barrister Masood Kausar for not taking into confidence the forum on the issue. Participants alleged that Barrister Kausar had accepted the ANP’s offer of appointing two PLF members as additional advocates general, which was not acceptable to them.

The notifications, issued by the provincial law department on Thursday last regarding appointment of additional and deputy advocates general, have been drawing flak from the PLF, Muslim Lawyers Forum-Nawaz and other lawyers on the grounds that the ANP-led government had appointed members of the Malgary Wakeelan, affiliated with the party on these posts.

Provincial Law Minister Barrister Arshid Abdullah has also named another member of the Malgary Wakeelan, Zaiur Rehman Khan, for the constitutional post of advocate general. The three newly appointed additional advocates general are: Qaiser Rasheed, Ikramullah Khan and Ishtiaq Ibrahim. The four appointed deputy advocates general are: Abbas Khan Sangeen for Abbottabad, Barrister Waqar and Alamgir Durrani for Peshawar and Sanaullah Shamim Ghandapur for Dera Ismail Khan.

Advocate Sardar Ali Raza, son of deposed judge of the Supreme Court Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan, has already been serving as deputy advocate general. He was appointed by the previous government of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA). The present government has changed the entire lot at the AG office but it decided to retain the services of Ali Raza. It is learnt that leaders of the Malgary Wakeelan had offered the PLF to adjust two of its members against the remaining two vacant posts of additional advocate general.

A member of the Malgary Wakeelan, who did not want to be named, told Dawn that the law ministry belonged to the ANP and commitment was made by the two parties not to interfere in each other’s ministries. Despite that they had expressed willingness to accommodate two of the PLF members.