• Tauqir Shah reappointed as premier’s principal secretary
• Cabinet swells to 77 members with addition of Shehryar Ali as SAPM

ISLAMABAD: Mansoor Usman Awan, a young lawyer from Lahore, has been appointed as the new attorney general for Pakistan (AGP) after President Dr Arif Alvi approved his nomination on Friday as the country’s 37th principal law officer.

Meanwhile, Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah has been reappointed as the premier’s principal secretary, whereas Shehryar Ali Khan has been named as the premier’s special aide on privatisation, inflating the cabinet size to 77 members.

Mr Awan came to prominence when he represented the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) during a presidential reference interpreting Article 63A of the Constitution that deals with defection.

His appointment comes after his predecessor, Ashtar Ausaf Ali, resigned in October, citing health reasons.

Mr Ali was retained by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to continue serving the office until his successor is found.

President House said in a statement that Dr Alvi had approved Mr Awan’s appo­i­ntment as AGP after accepting Mr Ali’s resignation.

“Mansoor Awan is a dynamic, smart and young lawyer who enjoys a good reputation and will serve the office in a befitting manner,” commented Additional Attorney General Chaudhry Aamir Rehman, who represented the AGP office before the Supreme Court in the absence of Mr Ali in several high-profile cases, including a presidential reference on the Reko Diq mining project, and a challenge by PTI Chairman Imran Khan to the amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance.

The AGP has been appoi­nted under Article 100 of the Constitution, and clause 1 of the provision states: “The president shall appo­int a person, being a person qualified to be a judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Attorney General for Pakistan.”

Under the Constitution, the president is bound to act upon the advice of the prime minister.

Mr Awan’s name was making rounds since he had been advising the prime minister on many legal issues for quite some time.

Earlier, he filed a petition in the Supreme Court on behalf of the SCBA seeking a declaration that invoking Article 62(1f) of the Constitution against politicians only applied to the election under question and did not entail a perpetual or lifetime bar.

The challenge is perceived to be filed before the top court to rescue PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and former PTI leader Jehangir Khan Tareen by challenging their perpetual ineligibility to become parliamentarians. The petition is still pending.

Mr Awan did a Master of Laws (LLM) in 2005 from Harvard Law School and received Dean’s Award for Leadership. He also served as president of the Harvard Graduate Council in 2004-05.

He did a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the Punjab University Law College Lahore in 2002 and earned the Justice M. Jan Memorial gold medal for the first position in jurisprudence, and the Charles Earl Bevan Petman law prize for the first position in criminal law.

Tauqir Shah reappointed

Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, who retired as the principal secretary to the prime minister (PSPM) at the age of superannuation, was reappointed on Friday.

Dr Shah, who was serving in grade 22, has been reappointed with effect from Dec 25, for one year at his last pay and allowances.

He has a long association with Prime Minister Sharif, having served as Mr Sharif’s principal secretary when he ruled Punjab for several years.

Dr Shah, a native of Islamabad and considered one of the most seasoned and experienced bureaucrats in the present lot, was first appointed as a PSPM on April 12, soon after PTI chief Imran Khan was deposed as premier through a confidence vote in parliament.

Meanwhile, the prime minister has also appointed Shehryar Ali Khan as his special assistant (SAPM) on privatisation, increasing the total number of members of the federal cabinet to 77. He has been given the status of a state minister.

According to the cabinet division’s website, there are 34 federal ministers, seven state ministers, and four advisers and 31 special assistants to the premier. With the addition of Mr Khan, the number of SAPMs has now reached 32.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2022