KARACHI: Assistant Advocate General Sindh, an employee of the Sindh government, has been appointed as the president of People’s Lawyers Forum (PLF), Karachi, a legal forum of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Advocate Qazi Muhammad Basheer was appointed as AAG five years back.Sources in the Sindh Advocate General office claimed that Basheer during his employment rarely attended his office and avoided to perform his duties of the AAG. Advocate General Sindh Abdul Fatah Malik said the appointment of Basheer as a president of PLF is not a violation of law.“He is not a government servanct and can hold any political position” said Mr Malik. He said Basheer is regular in the office and appears in upper courts on regular basis.Replying to another question Mr. Malik said that if any question of conflict of interest was raised, he will decide the matter according to law Justice (R) Rasheed A Rizvi told The News that the Sindh government always preferred to appoint political workers as law officers in courts, especially in upper courts, ignoring the merit and professional lawyers. “If a law officer who is not entitled for his private practice and he cannot participate in lawyers’ bar elections, then how can he become the office bearer of legal forum of a political party, specially a ruling party,” Rizvi said. He said there should be a proper mechanism of appointment of law officers in the upper courts through Public Service Commission.Prominent lawyer advocate Shahab Usto said that a person who is getting salary from exchequer cannot be an office bearer of a political party, as being an assistant advocate general he cannot carryout his private practice and cannot contest lawyers’ election. He said this is violation of law and clearly a conflict of interest.Senior lawyer Haq Nawaz Talpur told The News that this appointment is against the law. He said the AAG who is getting salary from government could not hold any political post.
