ISLAMABAD: Even as the trial of former president and army chief retired General Pervez Musharraf drags on, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has raised many eyebrows by appointing two lawyers close to the former military ruler to top positions within the government’s legal team.

On the advice of the Prime Minister, President Mamnoon Hussain recently approved the appointments of Waqar Rana and Asim Mansoor Khan, to the positions of additional attorney general and deputy attorney general, respectively.

Mr Rana has been appointed to a grade 21 position, whereas Mr Khan’s slot is a grade 20 post.

Waqar Rana and Asim Mansoor Khan are associates of former president’s erstwhile legal adviser, Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada

The former represented Gen Musharraf in 2007, in the petition filed by former Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who stood deposed at the time.

He assisted lead counsel Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, who was the military ruler’s legal adviser.

Advocate Rana was also among the former president’s eight-member defence panel, but did not appear in the special court because he had been appointed ‘consultant’ to the attorney general of Pakistan.

He told Dawn that being a professional lawyer he dealt with all his clients strictly professionally.

He said that after his appointment as additional attorney general, he had represented the government before a sessions judge in the petition filed by the Pakistan Awami Tehrik

(PAT) for the registration of an FIR against government functionaries.

“I never develop personal relationship with the clients and always stay focused on my professional priorities,” he said.

Brothers in arms?

Asim Mansoor Khan, the new deputy AG is another associate of legal wizard Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada and also the brother of Advocate Anwar Mansoor Khan, who has appeared on behalf of Gen Musharraf before the special court of Justice Faisal Arab as well as the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Anwar Mansoor has represented the former president and army chief in petitions challenging the constitution of a three-judge bench, the establishment of a special court in Islamabad, as well as the appointment of Akram Sheikh as lead prosecutor.

The eight-member defence team under Mr Pirzada stopped appearing in the special court on March 31, saying that it was not properly constituted.

Following this, Gen Musharraf entrusted his defence to leading attorney Barrister Farogh Nasim.

Prosecution attorneys working on the high treason case have expressed concerns over these appointments.

A senior prosecutor told Dawn that once the case reaches the Supreme Court, its fate would be in the hands of these newly-appointed law officers. They would also be the custodians of the record of the case.

Bestowing such “blessings” on lawyers who had connections with the accused who was being tried would certainly demoralise the prosecution team, he said.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government also terminated the services of additional attorney general Tariq Mehmood Khokhar and replaced him with Afnan Karim Kundi, son of retired Justice Abdul Karim Khan Kundi.

Sources say the intelligence agencies were not happy with Mr Khokhar because of his “enthusiasm” in the missing persons’ cases.

He had been posted away from the Supreme Court, where he was representing the government in these cases, to the Islamabad High Court earlier this year.

Lawyers from the Pakistan Muslim League Lawyers Forum claim that these appointments have been made on the insistence of Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt.

They say that because of these hirings, lawyers from the forum have been denied appointments on top legal posts, such as additional attorney general, deputy attorney general and standing counsels.

Observers say that both moves may be an effort by the government to improve relations with the military establishment, which has had a rocky relationship with the armed forces as of late.

Despite repeated attempts, Attorney General of Pakistan Salman Butt was not available for comment.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rashid, who also holds the portfolio of law minister, said the recent appointments had been made by the office of the attorney general after an examination of the candidates’ competence.

He said that it was the prerogative of the attorney general to appoint associates of his own choice.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2014