Supreme Court on Thursday separated Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Irfan Qadir from prosecution in Malik Riaz contempt of court case. A two-judge bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan ruled that the AGP could not act as a prosecutor in the case. Adjourning the hearing till October 9, the bench asked Registrar Supreme Court Dr Faqir Hussain to provide a list of senior lawyers to the court to appoint a prosecutor in the instant matter.
Later, talking to media persons, the counsel for Malik Riaz, Dr Abdul Basit, expressed reservations over court's directives to registrar. On Monday, the court reserved its ruling on Qadir's eligibility to prosecute Riaz on contempt charges. The question over Attorney General's role was raised because he had represented the business tycoon in the past. In an observation during Monday's hearing, Justice Ejaz Afzal observed that evidence submitted by the Attorney General in the case appeared to be aimed at defending the accused. Qadir's reply was that the judges too had also appeared in the past.