ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawyers seem upset over what they call encroachment of their “right to jobs” by the lawyers close to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Dissatisfied with the decision of their leadership regarding appointments made on the top posts, including the attorney general (AG) and his aides, the PML-N lawyers have decided to register their protests with their own government.

“The PML-N lawyers have been ignored while making high profile appointments, such as the AG, consultants and other positions,” said Abdul Khaliq Thind, PML-N Lawyers Forum Islamabad Chapter’s president.

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Mr Thind said the lawyers seem demoralised because of the decision. “I have also taken up this matter with the central president of the forum, Naseer Bhutta, and a comprehensive strategy will also be formulated in this regard soon,” he claimed.

Posts of AG and his aides have been given to former chamber fellows of a senior PTI leader

Apart from the jobless lawyers, several deputy attorney generals (DAGs) and standing counsel working in BPS-20 also criticised the “imbalance” in distribution of vacant legal positions.

“We are working in an uncertain environment, since our controlling authorities do not belong to PML-N, but rather have associations with PTI’s leader Hamid Khan,” said a DAG, adding that the lawyers are unsure of completing their five-year tenure due to lack of job security.

Currently, there are around 150 law officers, including an AG, his four consultants and researchers, five additional AGs (AAGs), 47 DAGs and around a hundred standing counsel, who represent the federal government in the Supreme Court, Islamabad High Court and four provincial high courts.

It is pertinent to note that during the tenure of the former government of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), most lawyers associated with the party were appointed on the said positions.

The PML-N lawyers, however, termed the current appointments unfortunate as they have been waiting to acquire the said posts since retired General Pervez Musharraf ousted the PML-N government in October 1999. They were expecting to hold the offices of AG, AAGs, DAGs and standing counsel during the incumbent PML-N regime.

“This was our turn to hold the high profile legal positions, but the party ignored their own lawyers and offered the positions to lawyers who belong to Hamid Khan’s group,” said one of the PML-N lawyers, while talking to Dawn.

Hamid Khan is a senior PTI leader and an archrival of the incumbent government.

His party’s sit-in has paralysed the PML-N government, the lawyer added.

He claimed that the serving AG created four special positions to appoint his favourite lawyers, and went on to say that the AG office is being run by lawyers who do not belong to PML-N.

It may be mentioned here that the current AG, Salman Aslam Butt, represented Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in three corruption references, prepared by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) during the government of the former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf. These references are still pending in Lahore High Court.

AG Salman Aslam Butt admitted to Dawn that he was a chamber fellow of PTI’s Hamid Khan, but he said that he had separated his business from Khan recently. He claimed that the appointments of the law officers were made strictly on merit.

“Not even a single appointment of any law officer has been made without merit,” claimed the AG, adding that “All the PML-N lawyers, who think they are eligible to be appointed as law officers, may contact me. After examining their credentials, I will definitely accommodate them.”

Waqar Rana, consultant to the AG, also admitted his relationship with Hamid Khan but said that he had also established his own chamber in Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2014