PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq appointed as the new law minister

Ayaz Sadiq, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader and incumbent federal minister for Economic Affairs, has been appointed as the new Federal Minister of Law and Justice.

In an official allocation notice, it is stated, “In terms of rule 3(4) of the Rules of Business, 1973, the Prime Minister has been pleased to allocate the portfolio of Law and Justice to Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the federal Minister for Economic Affairs, with immediate effect.”

PM Shehbaz Sharif has allocated the portfolio of Law Minister to Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. pic.twitter.com/815aP5W7IF

— Hasnaat Malik (@HasnaatMalik) October 31, 2022

The development has come a week after the unexpected and dramatic resignation of Azam Nazeer Tarar as the law minister.

Sadiq began his career with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and joined PML-N in 2001. He has been elected twice for the slot of National Assembly (NA) speaker. He was also the acting President of Pakistan in 2014.

Azam Nazeer Tarar steps down as law minister, citing ‘personal reason’

On October 24, Federal Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar resigned from his post for “personal reasons”.

In his resignation letter, addressed to President Dr Arif Alvi, Tarar wrote: “I have had the great honour and privilege to serve my country as the Federal Minister for Law and Justice under the leadership of Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”

Citing the reason for his resignation, the PML-N leader said, “Due to personal reasons, I am unable to discharge my duties as the federal minister”.

“Therefore, in terms of Clause (3) of Article 92 of the Constitution of the Republic of Pakistan, I hereby resign from my office,” his resignation letter added.

Prior to this, Tarar supported Chief Justice (CJ) Umar Ata Bandial’s nominations of junior judges for elevation to the Supreme Court on the instructions of the federal government.

However, it was being speculated that he was not comfortable with the government’s decision, therefore, he decided to tender his resignation, reports Express Tribune.

Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Ahsan Bhoon welcomed Tarar’s resignation. He said that Tarar showed loyalty to the party by following the government’s instruction, but he stood with the bar by resigning.

Moreover, some media reports said that some powerful circles were upset at the sloganeering during the Asma Jahangir Conference the other day, in his presence. This resignation is seen in the context of that episode.

Tarar is a senior PML-N leader, a lawyer, and a bar representative who assumed the responsibilities of Federal Minister for Law and Justice in April 2022.