Law officers to be appointed soon, minister tells PHC

PESHAWAR: Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Sultan Muhammad Khan on Tuesday assured the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that law officers would be appointed soon on merit.

Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan had on Monday issued the direction to the law minister to appear in the court after the absence of law officer due to which several cases were adjourned without any progress. The minister complied with the court’s direction accordingly.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Muhammad Ibrahim heard the law minister.

Justice Qaiser Rashid asked the minister as to why the appointments of the law officers had been delayed.

The minister informed the court that he had received a summary and list of the lawyers to be appointed as law officers. He said consultation continued to appoint additional and assistant advocate generals on merit.

Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan remarked that the court hoped the provincial government would appoint the law officers on merit.

The court directed the minister to appoint the law officers without any delay as there was a shortage of law officers to appear in the cases against government departments and that caused delays.

A high court lawyer Azizuddin Kakakhel had filed a writ petition in the high court. He had sought an order for the provincial government to appoint the law officers on merit and those who had no affiliations with the ruling party.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government after the 2013 general election had claimed that law officers would be appointed on merit.

But like the past rulers, the PTI-led provincial government appointed those lawyers as the law officers who were affiliated with the Insaf Lawyers Forum, the lawyers’ wing of the party.

This time, the forum has launched efforts and held meetings with party leadership to appoint the law officers on merit.