ISLAMABAD: Facing legal challenges at various forums ranging from the Election Commission of Pakistan to the Supreme Court, the PML-N government has brought in a time-tested and battled-hardened legal expert as the federal secretary Ministry of Law and Justice.

Karamat Hussain Niazi, who joined the lower judiciary in 1973 and rose to the rank of secretary National Assembly, will be providing input on critical legal issues during the remaining two years of the government.

He joined the parliament on deputation in the mid-’90s.

A coincidence worth noting, Mr Niazi will be making a team with the federal minister for law, Zahid Hamid, with whom he had extensive interaction during General Pervez Musharraf’s tenure but in a different position.

Then as a PML-Q lawmaker, Mr Hamid was holding the same portfolio of law minister and Mr Niaz was the additional secretary legislation in the National Assembly. Regular interaction between the law ministry and the legislation branch of the National Assembly is routine to get the government sponsored bills passed.

Having served with the Musharraf-dominated National Assembly followed by the PPP rule from 2008 to 2013 and that of the PML-N until 2014, Mr Niazi is known to have the art of developing good rapport with all political parties.

He reached to the age of superannuation in 2006 but regularly got extensions by the successive speakers of the National Assembly until 2014.

Later, Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq appointed him as his special adviser for a brief time.

Special assistant to the prime minister on law and justice, Barrister Zafarullah Khan, told Dawn that considering Mr Niazi’s experience first as a law officer and then the secretary of the National Assembly, the government had decided to use his experience, particularly in the field of legislation.

A top government official privy to the appointment of Mr Niazi as secretary law said during the coming weeks the government would be facing legal challenges at multiple forums and “I think he (Mr Niazi) is the right choice.”

A number of petitions have been filed with the ECP and the SC against the prime minister and his family members in the background of the Panama papers saga, said the official. Moreover, he added, Mr Niazi would be playing a key role in vetting important pieces of legislation regarding electoral reforms and changes in the country’s existing accountability laws.

When contacted, a member of the federal cabinet told Dawn that the law minister, Mr Hamid, had played the key role in bringing in Mr Niazi as his secretary. “Since General Musharraf’s days the two know each other quite well and have had good working relationship,” he remarked. Who doesn’t know the role of Mr Hamid in getting the infamous 17th amendment to indemnify actions taken by General Musharraf as the chief executive from the then assembly.

According to a National Assembly insider, the speaker regularly consulted Mr Niazi before giving his recent judgment on references against the prime minister and Imran Khan, and his appointment as the secretary law was in continuation of that consultation process.

To another question, the minister said since the government had decided to fight out its legal battle with the opposition political parties, it needed an experience hand and hopefully Mr Niazi would successfully provide that.

Published in Dawn September 7th, 2016

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