LAHORE - Replacement of a number of law officers at the Advocate General Punjab Office is on the cards after coalition partners in the provincial government, PML-N and PPP, have reached a formula to share vacancies in office. A large number of law officers placed in office of the Advocate General, Punjab, are likely to go within a week or so while their replacement would immediately follow, said sources Wenesday in the official quarters quoting the decisions taken by a meeting at political level. According to the sources, replacement of the law officers in the AG would come through phases and it was expected that in first phase 20 law officers, including Additional Advocates General and Assistant Advocates General, would be replaced. They said recent meeting held by a five-member committee, comprising two ministers each from the coalition partners and the AG Punjab had reached a formula to allocate vacancies. After much deliberation, it has been decided that both the PPP and the PML-N would share 40 per cent of the vacancies each while the rest 20 per cent have been left to the discretion of the AG, add the sources. The names from the PPP for appointing law officers are awaited while the PML-N has finalised most of them. All the sides have taken special care to appoint persons on merit, to the post of law officers as the previous selection made by the political government had raised many an eyebrows, the sources added. At present the total number of 49 law officers, including 15 Additional Advocates General and 33 Assistant Advocates General, are working at the AG office to plead for the government cases before the Supreme Court. Besides other benefits, an Advocate General is receiving Rs 2.10 lakh per month salary while an Assistant Advocate General Rs 1.55 lakh under a formula revised some three years ago. It is interesting to note that last made appointments of certain law officers was objected to by many lawyers and other quarters when a private person also took the matter to the Lahore High Court contending that every appointment need to be affected after consultation with the Chief Justice High Court according to 1993 rule. The court stayed appointment of law officers. However, when this order was questioned before the SC, it stayed operation of the same while admitting the appeal against it to regular hearing. It was in this situation that appointment of Advocate General Khawaja Harris Ahmad two months back, took a long time to come into effect despite the fact summary in this regard was sent by the Chief Minister to the Punjab Governor much before. The Governor office was under the impression that the High Court has stayed appointment of the law officers however, later on when it came to know about the SC order, it notified appointment of the AG. Some sitting law officers still claim that the High Court order stands in the way of their removal while the other side, as say the sources, have made up their mind to replace majority of the law officers.