Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan resigns from office after run-in with Supreme Court

Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Khan on Thursday decided to step down from his office, tendering his resignation to President Arif Alvi.

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

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday directed Khan to produce evidence supporting his comments or submit a written apology about his controversial statement.

The statement itself had been expunged from the court record.

"A certain statement was made by the attorney general about the bench and it would be appreciative that the material on the basis that he has made statement be placed before the bench,” the court had noted in its order on the matter.

“In case, no material was placed before this bench, we expect a written apology from the attorney general for having touched the matter,” the court further noted in its order. 

“It [the statement] is not against one, but every member of the bench,” it added.

"I note with profound regret that the Pakistan Bar Council, of which I am the chairman, has demanded through its press release dated February 19, 2020 that I resign forthwith from the office of the attorney-general for Pakistan," Khan wrote in his resignation letter.

"Being a life member of the Karachi Bar Association, Sindh Bar Association and the Supreme Court Bar Association, and having previously served as the advocate-general Sindh, the attorney-general for Pakistan and a judge of the High Court of Sindh, I stand with my brothers and colleagues at the Bar and I wish to reaffirm my faith in the highest principles of integrity and professional excellence that the Pakistan Bar Council has always stood for.

"Accordingly, I hereby resign from the position of the Attorney-General for Pakistan and request you to accept it with immediate effect. In the last year and a half, I worked to the best of my ability to serve this solemn office with honesty of purpose, and commitment to upholding the Constitution. I wish my successor the very best of success and pray that God may continue to shower His countless blessings on our motherland and nation," he wrote.

Government disowns Khan's remarks 

The government on Thursday also submitted a response to the Supreme Court regarding the statements made by Anwar Masood Khan in court earlier in the week, saying that the remarks by Khan were unauthorised and without the knowledge of the federal government. 

The response was submitted to court by Law and Justice Division Secretary Muhammad Khashih-ur-Rehman, and conveyed the positions on the matter of President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, and Law Minister Farogh Naseem. 

Talking to the media, Naseem said that the centre had nothing to do with the remarks that had been made in court by the former attorney general. 

AG Anwar Mansoor was asked to resign: Farogh Naseem

Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan was asked to resign after his controversial statement in the Supreme Court, Law Minister Farogh Naseem and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar said. 

The statements from the ministers came after secretary law submitted a response in the SC on behalf of the president, the prime minister, law minister and SAPM on accountability regarding the controversial statement from the attorney general.