ISLAMABAD: The federal government is still in a headhunting process for a new attorney general (AGP) ever since Ashtar Ausaf Ali tendered his resignation as the top law officer three weeks ago, citing health reasons.

On Wednesday, Mr Ausaf attended a meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) convened to consider confirmation of 13 additional judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

An informed source told Dawn that Mr Ausaf had been asked by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to continue to serve as AGP until his substitute was found.

President Dr Arif Alvi had on May 9 approved the appointment of Mr Ausaf as AGP, almost a month after his predecessor Khalid Jawed Khan resigned from the post after the ouster of Imran Khan as prime minister.

The president had made the appointment on the recommendation of PM Sharif under Article 100(1) of the Constitution.

Ashtar Ausaf, who had also served as AGP from 2016 to 2018 and as law adviser to former PM Nawaz Sharif, is considered very close to the Sharif family. He has also served as advocate general for Punjab.

The Lahore-based lawyer came to prominence in 1993 when he represented the then-Nawaz government before the Supreme Court after it was toppled through dissolution of assemblies by former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan.

Mr Ausaf supported the lawyers’ movement for restoration of independence of the judiciary and was detained in Lahore when then president Pervez Musharraf proclaimed a state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2022