Pakistan Attorney General submits resignation over controversial statement against Supreme Court judge
Imran Khan’s government distances itself from Anwar Mansoor’s remarks
Islamabad: Pakistan’s top law officer Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan on Thursday submitted his resignation to President Arif Alvi over a row related to his controversial statement made on Tuesday about a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
He has requested Alvi to accept his resignation with immediate effect.
Although the 10-member full court hearing Justice Isa’s petition challenging a presidential reference against him had directed Mansoor Khan to withdraw his remarks, lawyers’ associations and bar councils across the country condemned his remarks against a serving judge of the country.
The full bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday again took up the matter and directed him to submit either material evidence in support of his statement or tender an apology.
In Wednesday’s order, Justice Umar Ata Bandial who is heading the bench had dictated, “Certain statement was made by the AG about the bench yesterday, it would be appreciated if the material on the basis of which the statement was made is placed on record before the bench,” adding “if no such material is furnished, then we expect apology by the AG for having touched the matter that concerns not one, but every member of this court.”
His remarks had not only attracted displeasure of the top court, the Pakistan Bar Council of which he is chairman had also demanded him to submit his resignation. Even Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had distanced itself from his anti-judiciary remarks.
Thursday however Mansoor Khan stepped down from his office submitting his resignation to the President House.
In his resignation letter, a copy of which is available with Gulf News, Mansoor Khan said, “I note with profound regret that the Pakistan Bar Council, of which I am the chairman, has demanded through its press release dated 19th of February 2020 that I resign forthwith from the Office of the Attorney General of Pakistan … accordingly I hereby resign from the position of the Attorney General for Pakistan and request to accept it with immediate effect.”
Meanwhile, Law Minister Farogh Naseem and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability Barrister Shahzad Akbar have contradicted that Bar Council had asked Mansoor Khan to submit his resignation, it was in fact the government that had asked him to step down for his remarks against the judge.