ISLAMABAD, April 25: Deputy Attorney-General Raja Mohammad Irshad, who had been representing the government in the missing people case, has been transferred to Rawalpindi from his office situated in the Supreme Court building, but he is staying on.

The decision to transfer the judicial officer, who has been performing his duties in Islamabad for four years, followed his unusual and blunt stand before the Supreme Court in the missing people case.

Last month, Nasir Saeed Sheikh, who used to sit adjacent to the office of Raja Irshad, also resigned from the office of the DAG in protest against the filing of a reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry by the president.

Raja Irshad had expressed his inability to render any assistance to the court due to non-cooperation on part of the interior minister in locating the disappeared people despite earlier assurances.

Similarly, when the Supreme Court took up a contempt of court case against the senior administration and police hierarchy of Islamabad, it was Raja Irshad who stated in clear terms that he tended to agree with findings of a judicial tribunal in which culpability had been determined against the top Islamabad officers for roughing up Chief Justice Chaudhry.

“The competent authority has been pleased to transfer the services of Raja Mohammad Irshad, Deputy Attorney-General, from the Office of Deputy Attorney General-IV, Islamabad, to the office of Deputy Attorney-III, Rawalpindi, with immediate effect,” said a notification issued by the Law, Justice and Human Rights Division on April 24.