Updated on
Summary The advocate on record told SC he has been removed, but the record of his change was missing.
A 17-member bench of the Supreme Court took up the review petition on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) on Monday. As the hearing started, former advocate-on-record Raja Abdul Ghafoor told the court that the Federal Law Ministry had stopped him from pleading the case.In an application filed with the Law Ministry, Abdul Ghafoor took the plea that he was suffering from earache and could not plead the case.Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked that the court was being ridiculed. On one occasion, the government lawyer is changed and on the other, the advocate-on-record. If the federal government has no confidence in the attorney general, additional attorney general or Kamal Azfar, then who else is there to plead the case, the CJP remarked.The CJP said that in the absence of a government counsel and advocate-on-record, the matter of NRO review could be finished.He also told Raja Abdul Ghafoor and solicitor general to reverse their decision of withdrawing from the case otherwise the court would start proceedings on the NRO implementation case. He also expressed displeasure when he called the record of the advocate on record’s change and was told that it was missing.Additional Advocate General KK Agha submitted that the federal government had also not allowed him to plead the case, and that the federal government wanted permission to change the lawyer in this case. The CJP told additional attorney general that he wasting the time.Raja Abdul Ghafoor said that the Law Ministry had taken back his power of attorney, therefore, a notice should be issued to the government for the same. The CJP said that the review petition could be dismissed on this ground.Meanwhile, inspector general of Islamabad police has submitted a report in the Supreme Court regarding threats to Kamal Azfar. The case hearing has been adjourned for a day.
