PM Shahbaz appoints Ashtar Ausaf Ali as new Attorney General for Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:  Renowned lawyer Ashtar Ausaf Ali on Saturday was appointed as the new Attorney General for Pakistan after Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's approval.

The post of attorney general fell vacant after Khalid Javed Khan resigned on April 9 following the departure of the PTI government, saying he had tried to serve the country to the best of his ability and conscience.

It is worth mentioning that Ashtar Ausaf Ali had served as special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on law and justice during 2015-16. He had been the AGP during the tenure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

He previously served as Advocate General of Punjab twice, from 1998 to 1999 and 2012 to 2013. He also served as Prosecutor General of the province from 2011 to 2012, and as Advisor on Human Rights to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1997.

As attorney general, he spearheaded the drafting of the 25th Amendment merging FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, began the settlement process that culminated in the resolution of the $6 billion Reko Diq investment dispute, and the renewal of the GSP Plus trade package. He was also awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2018.