LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday heard a petition filed by Advocate General of Punjab Ahmad Awais against a notification restraining him from working and appearing in court.
The court termed the notification as highly inappropriate and served notices to the chief secretary, inspector general of police (IG) and Punjab law secretary.
Awais Ahmed through a counsel contended in the petition that under Article 140 of the Constitution, the office of the advocate general was a constitutional post, independent of the government of a province or its bureaucracy.
During court proceedings on Friday, the counsel representing Ahmad Awais said that only governor Punjab has the right to accept his resignation and the AG’s office does not come under the domain of the chief secretary.
The court asked the newly-appointed assistant advocate general who notified his appointment. He replied that he was notified by the law secretary.
The judge remarked who has given secretary law the authority to remove or appoint an advocate general. He added that Ahmad Awais is still the advocate general. He said that Ahmad Awais appear on the directives of the court.
The law department had restrained AGP Awais from appearing before courts on behalf of the government and assigned the responsibility of the office to Additional Advocate General Jawwad Yaqoob.
In the impugned memo written to Awais, the law department’s section officer said that the principal law officer had been asked by the department through four letters not to appear in courts on behalf of the provincial government.
