ISLAMABAD: The government is facing a tough challenge in the Supreme Court to justify the presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa after Anwar Mansoor Khan failed to establish the case, leaving the government with no option but to remove him from the office of attorney general. The government dubbed Khan incompetent as his performance was not up to the mark in the case being heard by a 10-member full court. The other day, Law Minister Farogh Nasim and Anwar Mansoor traded serious allegations against each other on the latter’s controversial statement in the Supreme Court during the hearing of a petition filed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, challenging the presidential reference filed against him. Speaking in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’, Farogh Nasim said Anwar Mansoor’s version was based on lies and the government had no idea about the allegations against the apex court judges.
He further said that the attorney general’s performance was not up to the mark in the case and he angered the judges through his bad performance due to which he was asked to resign.
He said Anwar Mansoor Khan would have never been allowed to give a statement in the apex court had the government known it before.
According to Shahzeb, Anwar Mansoor said whatever he said about the judges in the apex court was in the knowledge of Farogh Nasim and Shahzad Akbar. He said his statement was part of the government strategy.
In another TV interview, Anwar Mansoor Khan said no one from the government had spoken to him; therefore, the question of taking his resignation didn’t arise.
He said everyone in the government was aware of his statement in the court and categorically denied that he was asked to resign by the government.
The government Friday sought adjournment of hearing for three weeks.
Additional Attorney General Chaudhry Aamir Rehman filed an application with the Supreme Court submitting that the hearing of the petition of Justice Qazi Faez Isa as well as the identical petitions challenging the presidential reference fixed for February 24 may be adjourned for three weeks.
“The instant matter may be adjourned for three weeks so as to permit the federation to appoint a new Attorney General for Pakistan, who may require time to prepare the case,” the federal government added.
After Anwar Mansoor Khan’s exit, the government has appointed senior lawyer Khalid Javed as the new Attorney General for Pakistan.
His notification was scheduled to be issued on Friday but it was not issued till the filing of this report in the evening.
The government has tasked Khalid Javed with justifying the Presidential Reference against Justice Isa for not disclosing the foreign assets of his family members.
Khalid Javed, who is known for his expertise in the corporate sector, will be required to convince the court in the matter in hand and argue in response to the arguments made by Babar Sattar, another well-known corporate sector lawyer, who had appeared before the court as the counsel for Justice Isa.
Although Munir A Malik had argued in details, he had asked Babar Sattar to argue on the issue of foreign assets of Justice Isa’s spouse and children.