Mansoor Usman Awan has been appointed as the new Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP), days after Barrister Shehzad Ata Elahi stepped down as the country’s top law officer, a private TV channel reported. President Dr Arif Alvi appointed Awan as the AGP with the rank and status of federal minister with immediate effect, read a notification issued by the Law Ministry on Monday. Awan, who also enjoys a good reputation within the legal fraternity, was partner with Justice Babar Sattar in a legal firm before the latter’s appointment to the Islamabad High Court. Senior lawyers are of the view that Awan became a victim of judicial politics. He was former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz’s counsel in a case wherein the three-judge special bench of the apex court had set aside the ruling of deputy speaker Dost Mazari. He completed his Master of Law (LLM) in 2005 from Harvard Law School and received the Dean’s Award for Leadership. He also served as president of the Harvard Graduate Council from 2004-05. He did his Bachelor of Law (LLB) from the Punjab University Law College in 2002 and earned the Justice M Jan Memorial gold medal for the first position in jurisprudence, and the Charles Earl Bevan Petman law prize for the first position in criminal law. Awan was also the counsel of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in several matters including the implementation of Article 95 and presidential reference on the interpretation of Article 63(A) of the Constitution. On behalf of the SCBA, Awan also filed a petition against the lifetime disqualification of lawmakers under Article 62 (1) (f) of the Constitution.