Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has resigned from his post, citing ‘personal reasons’ in his letter of resignation to President Arif Alvi.
The law minister submitted his resignation late night on Monday, and pictures of the letter of resignation surfaced shortly thereafter. “Due to personal reasons, I am unable to discharge my duties as the Federal Minister. Therefore […] I hereby resign from my office,” read the letter.
The development came a few hours after a meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, in which the government’s representatives Law Minister Azam Tarar and Attorney-General Ashtar Ausaf Ali voted for the two junior judges nominated by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, despite earlier opposition.
However, the Express Tribune reported that a lawyer close to Tarar had said that his ‘conscience was not accepting’ the government’s decision, and therefore he decided to tender his resignation.
There are also connections being made to Tarar’s presence at the Asma Jahangir Conference over the weekend, where anti-army slogans were raised in his presence. Late at night on Sunday, he tweeted that he was ‘disappointed’ by the group raising the slogans, adding, “We must respect each other’s point of view #hallmark of democratic society.”
He also posted a similar tweet late night on Monday, supposedly shortly after tendering his resignation, in which he said, “It is sad and regrettable that a small group of participants in the Asma Jahangir conference raised slogans against state institutions.” He said that the group chanting the slogans had forgotten the efforts and the sacrifices made by the government and other state institutions.
Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar has resigned from his post.
In a letter written to President Dr. Arif Alvi, Azam Nazir Tarar said that due to some personal reasons, he could no longer work as a minister. pic.twitter.com/cKtoKmTTWt
— The Friday Times (@TFT_) October 24, 2022
