ISLAMABAD: The country’s top law officer, Barrister Shehzad Ata Elahi, on Friday stepped down from his position as Attorney General Pakistan (AGP).
According to sources and media reports, Elahi was asked to resign in view of “his failure to defend the ‘unconstitutional’ move of ECP to postpone the elections in Punjab despite a clear order from the Supreme Court.”
Elahi is the grandson of former president Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry and enjoys a good reputation for his hard work, integrity and understanding of legal issues. He is also a young corporate lawyer with experience in commercial, tax and banking laws, civil, commercial, corporate, constitutional litigation, etc. He has worked with the famous law firm, Cornelius, Lane and Mufti.
Shehzad Elahi’s resignation comes nearly seven weeks after his appointment was confirmed by President Arif Alvi on Feb 2. He is also a corporate lawyer who has rich experience in commercial, tax and banking laws, civil, commercial, corporate, constitutional litigation, etc.
The AGP office had been vacant since last October when Ashtar Ausaf Ali resigned, citing health reasons. In January, the apex court had held that the AGP was a constitutional post and it could not be left vacant since there was no mention of an acting AGP in the Constitution.
Interestingly, Supreme Court judge Justice Ijazul Ahsan also worked with this firm before his elevation to the bench.
Hamid Khan and Salman Aslam Butt are senior members of this firm and former chief justice Jawad S Khawaja had also worked with it.
As AGP, Elahi had made waves after he offered clarification on behalf of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial for an unconfirmed controversial remark during the hearing of a case.
The Senate had witnessed a heated debate between the treasury and the opposition members as both locked horns over the CJ’s remarks about parliament during a hearing on an appeal against the amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws.
In the letter, Elahi had urged the law minister to share correct facts in this regard with fellow parliamentarians for setting the record straight, stating that the observation regarding CJP’s remarks was “incorrect”.
This too was not well-received by Senators, where he had been urged to support the parliament when it is being attacked by the court.
