President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday approved the appointment of senior Supreme Court advocate, Ashtar Ausaf, as the attorney general of Pakistan (AGP), almost a month after Khalid Jawed Khan resigned from the post.

The attorney general is the government’s primary lawyer in the apex court and is responsible for advising it on legal matters.

According to a statement issued by the President's Office, Dr Alvi appointed Ausaf on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif under Article 100(1) of the Constitution which states: “The president shall appoint a person, being a person qualified to be a judge of the Supreme Court, to be the AGP.”

On Saturday, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar had confirmed that a summary for Ausaf's appointment had been forwarded to the president after approval from the premier.

Ausaf's predecessor had resigned following the ouster of the Imran Khan-led government. The former AGP had told a group of reporters earlier this year that he had decided to resign soon after the retirement of Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed in February.

After the change of government last month, the new government led by coalition parties, mainly the PML-N, had started headhunting for a new AGP. Those considered for the top post included Ausaf, former law minister Zahid Hamid and senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja.

Ausaf, who earlier served as AGP from 2016 to 2018 and also served as law adviser to former premier Nawaz Sharif, is considered very close to the Sharif family.