ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has called into question the official status of the new Attorney General of Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, after his office failed to assist the apex judicial forum in a property-related case.
A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, took up the case and summoned the secretary of law to the next hearing, ordering him to bring all relevant documents concerning Ali’s appointment and the resignation of his predecessor, Ashtar Ausaf Ali, who resigned in October, citing health reasons.
During the hearing, Justice Isa made the following comment: “The office of Mansoor Awan, the new AGP, has not been properly providing assistance to the court in cases for which it seeks an explanation.”
He questioned Deputy Attorney General Shafqat Abbasi on the matter, who responded by stating the name of the previous Attorney-General Ashar Ausaf, who has already resigned, and the identity of the new Attorney-General could not be confirmed by the legal representative present in the court.
Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman also failed to provide an answer to the question, thus the court adjourned the hearing till January 17.
Awan, a young lawyer from Lahore who was appointed as the country’s 37th principal law officer in December, came to prominence when he represented the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) during a presidential reference interpreting Article 63-A of the Constitution that deals with defection.
