After accepting the resignation of Shehzad Ata Elahi, President Dr Arif Alvi appointed Mansoor Usman Awan as the new Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) on Monday.
According to a statement issued by the Aiwan-i-Sadr, the president accepted Elahi’s resignation — who left the top law last week for “personal reasons” — and appointed Awan as the AGP on the advice of the prime minister under Article 100 of the Constitution.
Following that, the Ministry of Law and Justice appointed Awan as the new AGP. According to the notification, a copy of which is available to Dawn.com, Awan will be given the rank and status of a federal minister.
Elahi stated in his resignation letter to the president on March 24 that he was resigning due to “personal reasons.” He later issued a clarification, however, denying that he had been asked to resign.
Elahi was appointed as the AGP on February 2 after Awan, whose nomination for the position of the country’s chief law officer was approved by the president in December last year, expressed his inability to take charge.
In a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Awan stated his intention to resign. “I will be unable to serve as the AGP at this time due to unavoidable professional commitments,” he said at the time.
Ex-AGP denies being ‘asked to leave’
Elahi clarified on Saturday that being asked to resign as AGP was “absolutely incorrect.”
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah previously told a private news channel that Elahi had been asked to resign because he was unable to present the federal government’s stance in court in some cases.
“In fact, when I communicated my intention to resign to senior members of the government I was requested to defer sending the resignation to the president and at their request I handed the original resignation over to a senior minister,” so that the government send it to the president at its convenience, Elahi said in the clarification.
“Unfortunately, some facts were selectively leaked to media yesterday (Friday) and while I avoided engaging with the numerous reporters and media channels who contacted me repeatedly a distorted narrative is being created which is why I am now constrained to send this clarification,” he added.
Elahi clarified on Saturday that being asked to resign as AGP was “absolutely incorrect.”
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah previously told a private news channel that Elahi had been asked to resign because he was unable to present the federal government’s stance in court in some cases.
