ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has appointed Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid as federal law minister while he would continue to keep the portfolio of climate change as an additional charge.
Meanwhile, Ashter Ausaf is also made new attorney general after accepting the resignation of incumbent Attorney General Salman Butt.
Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid, who is given the portfolio of Ministry of Law, had earlier served in the same cabinet with same portfolio but stepped down in November 2014 when he was implicated along with the then prime minister Shaukat Aziz and then chief justice of Pakistan Abdul Hameed Dogar in a high treason case against General (r) Pervez Musharraf for imposing emergency on November 3, 2007 by the special court trying Musharraf.
Interestingly, Zahid Hamid was holding the portfolio of law ministry at that time too and special court had directed the government to probe these three persons as abettors in the case.
On his direct implication in the case Zahid Hamid stepped down as Federal Minister for Law to present him before the court for trial.
Later, he was again inducted in the federal cabinet as minister for climate change primarily to represent the country in international environment moot in Paris because the portfolio of Ministry of Climate Change fell vacant after Mushahid Ullah was forced to quit as federal minister for climate change following landing in a controversy relating to army.
On the other hand newly-appointed Attorney General of Pakistan Ashter Ausaf was serving as special assistant to prime minister on law with a status of state minister before his new appointment.