Attorney General for Pakistan Shehzad Ata Elahi resigns

ISLAMABAD, Mar 24 (SABAH): With less than two months in office, Barrister Shehzad Ata Elahi has resigned as Attorney General for Pakistan on Friday.

According to a private TV channel sources, Elahi was asked to resign. He had replaced Ashtar Ausaf Ali, who resigned on account of his ‘deteriorating health’.

As per media reports, Shehzad Ata Elahi has resigned from office due to personal reasons.

On February 2, the Ministry of Law and Justice announced that Barrister Shehzad Ata Elahi was picked as AGP.

A statement issued by the ministry and signed by Joint Secretary to the Government of Pakistan, Muhammad Umer Aziz, had stated back then: “In exercise of powers conferred under Article 100(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, the President is pleased to appoint Barrister Shehzad Ata Elahi as Attorney General for Pakistan with the rank and status of Federal Minister with immediate effect.”

Article 100(1) states that the president would appoint someone, who was qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court, to be the AGP.

Elahi filled the shoes of AGP after Mansoor Usman Awan recused himself from taking charge as the government’s top lawyer.

President Dr Arif Alvi approved the appointment of Awan, who is a Supreme Court lawyer, as the AGP on December 23 after accepting the resignation of Ashtar Ausaf Ali. Ali had tendered his resignation in October last year due to health reasons.

However, the federal government did not notify the appointment — the reasons for which were not disclosed officially.

Elahi is a grandson of former president Fazal Elahi Chaudhry and his main area of work is civil, commercial, corporate and constitutional litigation, and mergers and acquisitions.