President Dr. Arif Alvi on Monday has given his approval to the appointment of senior Supreme Court advocate, Ashtar Ausaf, as the attorney general of Pakistan.
The new appointment comes nearly a month after Khalid Jawed Khan resigned from the post.
The attorney general is the government’s main lawyer in the apex court and is charged with the responsibility of 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 according to which: “The president shall appoint a person, being a person qualified to be a judge of the Supreme Court, to be the AGP.”
On Saturday, PM Shehbaz Sharif approved Ausaf’s appointment. The post was vacant after Khalid Javed Khan resigned on April 9. He left right after the departure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government and said that he tried to serve the country to the best.
Ashtar Ausaf has also served as the special assistant on law and justice during 2015-16 to the then prime minister.
He has served on many legal posts as he has been the Advocate General of Punjab twice in the late 90s. He was also the advisor of the former PM Nawaz Sharif on human rights.
As attorney general, he spearheaded the drafting of the 25th Amendment merging FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, began the settlement process that culminated in the resolution of the $6 billion Reko Diq investment dispute, and the renewal of the GSP Plus trade package. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2018.
