January 08, 2009	Thursday	Muharram 10, 1430

PESHAWAR, Jan 7: Leaders of Peoples Lawyers Forum have expressed reservations over recent appointment of a senior lawyer affiliated with Awami National Party as additional advocate general stating that the said post had to be filled through one of their members.

Ever since a coalition government was formed in the province by ANP and PPP in March last, differences persisted over filling different posts in the NWFP Advocate General’s office including the posts of advocate general (AG), additional advocates general (AAG) and deputy advocates general (DAG).

As NWFP Law Minister Barrister Arshad Abdullah hails from ANP, therefore, lawyers mostly attached with Malgary Wakeelan, a lawyers’ body affiliated with his party, have been appointed against most of these posts.

Only two of the posts of AAGs were given to PLF over which advocates Muzzamil Khan and Zahid Shah were appointed. However, one of these posts fell vacant after Mr Muzzamil and Iqbal Mohmand were appointed against two posts of deputy attorneys general here in Sept last.

Few days ago on the said vacant post of the AAG the president of Peshawar District Bar Association, Fazlur Rehman Khan, a senior member of Malgary Wakeelan, was appointed over which PLF expressed reservations.

Differences already persisted in PLF as some of the senior members had revolted against the provincial convener, Barrister Masood Kausar. The said group led by senior advocates Mohammad Khursheed, Ishaq Khalil, Farooq Shah and others had earlier raised objections at the appointments on the posts of deputy attorney general as well as those in the AG office.

It was learnt that a meeting of the same group chaired by Mohammad Khursheed was held on Tuesday. The meeting criticised the appointment of Fazlur Rehman against the vacant post stating that as earlier the said post was allotted to PLF; therefore it should have been filled through one of their members.

The meeting criticised Barrister Masood Kausar and other leaders of PLF stating that it was because of their inefficiency that they had lost one seat of AAG.

Earlier, NWFP advocate general and seven additional and deputy advocates general having ties with Awami National Party were appointed by the provincial government in April last.

A former president of Peshawar High Court Bar Association, Ziaur Rehman Khan, was appointed as advocate general. Similarly, Qaiser Rasheed, Ikramullah Khan and Ishtiaq Ibrahim were appointed as additional advocates general.

Four deputy advocates general namely Abbas Khan Sangeen, Barrister Waqar, Alamgir Durrani and Sanaullah Shamim Ghandapur, were also appointed in April. Another deputy advocate general, Sardar Ali Raza, was appointed by the previous government.

When the PLF members raised hue and cry over the said appointments then Muzamil Khan and Zahid Shah, both affiliated with PPP, were appointed as additional advocates general in August last.

Presently, apart from the advocate general four additional advocates general and five deputy advocates general have been functioning in the AG office.