Justice Ijazul Ahsan of the Lahore High Court on Thursday deferred arguments on a petition challenging the appointment of Mustafa Ramday as acting advocate general (AG) until March 10. The judge has admitted the petition for regular hearing.
Lawyer Noshab A Khan had filed the petition, saying there was no constitutional provision for appointing an acting AG. He said Ramday’s appointment was unconstitutional as the eligibility criteria for an AG was the same as that of a High Court judge, who had to be 45 years old. He said Ramday’s age was far less than the required age.
He said the Punjab chief secretary had indirectly violated the law. He added that Ramday’s appointment was made on a political basis because he was associated with the Sharif family.
He said during the recent general election, Ramday had appeared as counsel on behalf of the Sharif brothers.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st, 2014.