ISLAMABAD, June 18: Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi of the Supreme Court will be new federal law secretary.

Official sources told Dawn on Wednesday that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had decided the appointment before leaving on his foreign tour, thus ending intense lobbying for the post.

The post had been vacant since May 18, when Justice Mansoor Ahmad had left the country to join the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). However, he returned after a week, and wished to be allowed to work again as federal law secretary. His credentials were supported by a serving army general, but he could not convince the president.

Justice Mansoor Ahmad’s efforts to regain the post were opposed by the highest judicial functionary.

Justice Mansoor Ahmad will now work as a judge at the Rawalpindi Bench of the LHC from Thursday.

Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi will be designated as secretary-general, law, as the post of secretary law is seen as not commensurate with the status of a judge of the Supreme Court.

The precedent is the case of Justice S.A. Nusrat, who was appointed secretary-general, law, when he was a judge of the SC.