PESHAWAR: Pakistan's federal government has dismissed 57 officers from the Advocate General's Office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, extending a sweeping shake-up of the provincial administration that began after the imposition of emergency and governor's rule.
A notification issued by the provincial Law Department said the officers were removed from their posts. The dismissals follow earlier changes in the province's bureaucracy and police department.
Those removed include 26 additional advocate generals, 31 assistant advocate generals and four advocates on record, according to the notification. Among the additional advocate generals named were Noman-ul-Haq Kakakhel, Aqeel Hussain, Aamir Zeb and Shah Faisal Elyas, who had resigned a day earlier.
The assistant advocate generals removed included Taskeen-ud-Din Khattak, Javed Khan, Humaira Gul and Yasir Khalid. Zahid Yousaf Qureshi and Fareedullah Kundi were among the advocates on record dismissed.
The president approved the emergency and governor's rule on the prime minister's advice, invoking Articles 232 and 234 of the constitution.
Following the decision, the federal government appointed Dr. Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan as the province's new chief secretary. An 11-member advisory council was also formed to assist Gov. Faisal Karim Kundi, and a separate secretariat was created for sensitive districts.
The government also deployed the army in the province under Article 245 of the constitution to assist civil authorities.
Federal officials justified the measures by pointing to a deteriorating law and order situation and what they described as a failure to deal with terrorism.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) rejected the move, calling it unconstitutional and illegal.
