ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: Four lawyers, two of whom were holding offices of benefit in the previous government, received the major share in the Rs37.7 million paid to 26 lawyers from the taxpayers’ money for fighting the cases in the Supreme Court arising from President Pervez Musharraf’s controversial actions during 2007, the National Assembly was told on Monday.

Law Minister Farooq H. Naek revealed the figures in a written reply to a question of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) MNA Nuzhat Sadiq who had asked the minister to tell the names of the lawyers hired by the previous regime to fight its cases before the Supreme Court in the last five years and the amount paid to them as fee.

According to the law minister’s astounding reply, the previous government between 2004 and 2008 hired the services of 32 lawyers to defend it in 16 cases in the Supreme Court and paid them Rs41.39 million – including some outstanding amount.

Amazingly, out of the Rs41.39 million, a big chunk of Rs37.7 million went to the lawyers only in 2007-08 in defending cases relating to President Pervez Musharraf’s acts including filing of a reference against deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice (retired) Wajihuddin’s challenge to Gen Musharraf’s election as president and imposition of emergency in the country.

The four lawyers who together received Rs24.9 million for their legal services were Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, then an adviser to the prime minister with the status of a cabinet minister, Attorney General Malik Abdul Qayyum, who continues to hold that office, and Wasim Sajjad, the then leader of the house in the Senate, and Senator Khalid Ranjha.

Wasim Sajjad received Rs8.2 million fees in defending President Musharraf in his reference against the deposed chief justice and later in the petition filed by Justice (retired) Wajihuddin challenging the presidential elections in October last. Ironically, Mr Sajjad as leader of the house and a leading member of the PML-Q kept on giving political statements on the floor of the house and different forums and in doing the same job in the SC, he charged Rs8.2 million fees.

Similarly, Attorney General Malik Abdul Qayyum also received Rs8.2 million as fee for the job for which he is being paid salary by the government.

Sharifuddin Pirzada reportedly first advised the president to suspend the constitution and impose emergency in the country in November and later received Rs4.5 million fee in defending this act of the president in the SC.

The reply submitted by Mr Naek revealed that Mr Pirzada was yet to receive Rs2.5 million as fee in the Pakistan Steel Mills case which the government lost.

Another PML-Q senator, Dr Khalid Ranjha, who also faced the wrath of the lawyers during the hearing of the presidential reference against the deposed chief justice, received Rs4 million fee.

Ahmed Raza Qasuri, who came to prominence when his face was blackened by a lawyer activist through a spray outside the SC during the hearing of the petition filed by the chief justice against the president, received Rs1 million fee.

Interestingly, none of the other more than 20 lawyers who were also paid hefty amount as fee, argued before the Supreme Court for more than 20 minutes. According to the observers, the only job of most of these lawyers was to receive and take the attorney general and Mr Pirzada to the courtroom in the form of a procession.