AGP Khalid Javed Khan recuses himself from Justice Isa case

Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan on Monday recused himself from representing the government in the Justice Qazi Faez Isa case.

“The government has recommended the name of Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman to represent it in the Supreme Court,” he said. “I cannot represent the federation. I have already stated my opinion regarding the Justice Isa reference,” the AGP explained.

Khan was appointed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government as the new Attorney General after Anwar Mansoor Khan resigned from the office on Thursday.

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The Pakistan Bar Council had demanded Mansoor’s resignation over some comments he made regarding Supreme Court judges, for which he had been reprimanded by the court as well.

During the hearing today, the attorney general told the court that AAG Aamir Rehman was ready for the case.

Justice Ata Bandial, who is heading the 10-judge bench hearing the Justice Isa reference said, the court would give the government additional time to prepare for the case.

AAG Rehman had on Friday filed an application with the Supreme Court submitting that the hearing of the petition of Justice Isa as well as the identical petitions challenging the presidential reference fixed for February 24 may be adjourned for three weeks.

Today, when the hearing resumed, the AAG told the court that he would be out of the country till March 20 for some official work.

On this, Justice Bandial said one of the judges on the bench will be away after March 20 and we will hear the case upon his return.

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Adjourning the hearing till March 30, the chief judge also announced that the request for action against Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem will also be heard on the same date.

“No number has been assigned to your petition,” Justice Bandial told PBC vice-chairman Abid Saqi.

“We have no personal gain from this,” Saqi argued. To which AG Khan responded that this was a case regarding the judiciary’s independence.

“If I have a notion that the case is against the judiciary’s independence, you will not see me here,” AG Khan said.