Punjab govt sacks Asma Hamid as advocate general Punjab

LAHORE - Caretaker Punjab government has removed Asma Hamid from the post of advocate general of the province on Wednesday.

The bureaucratic shuffle came as the interim set up is set to conduct free and fair elections scheduled on July 25 for which the top brass is being reshuffled.

According to sources, Additional Advocate General Muhammad Shan Gul has been given the additional charge of advocate general Punjab while Imtiaz Siddiqui is likely to fill the post.

Former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif had appointed Hamid to the post of advocate general Punjab on May 29, two days before the then government’s tenure ended, making her the first lady to be appointed to the slot.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had opposed Hamid's appointment saying her family was being rewarded for having personal ties with the Sharif family; she is the relative of former law minister Zahid Hamid.

The PTI had expressed its reservations in a letter to the chief election commissioner and caretaker Punjab chief minister.

Asma Hamid - A Profile

Asma Hamid holds a post-graduate degree in constitutional law from the United States’ prestigious Harvard University. She was appointed as an Assistant Advocate General in January 2014 and as Additional Advocate General in March 2015. She has also assumed responsibilities as Acting Advocate General in charge of the office on two previous occasions.

Being a Supreme Court advocate, Asma has successfully represented Punjab in thousands of cases in the Lahore High Court and the apex court. Her representation of the state in the Distilleries case had won billions of rupees in tax revenue.

In the Supreme Court, she assisted the court in several human rights cases as well as matters in which suo motu action has been taken by the court, including the Zainab rape and murder case in Kasur, and silicosis prevention case among others.

Hamid has also advised the chief minister on various issues ranging from Energy, Property, Environment, Media, Tax, State and Evacuee Property, Service, Contract and other laws.