By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan’s central province of Punjab has appointed Asma Hamid as the new advocate general of the province. She will be the first woman to hold this constitutional post ever in the history of the office.
On Monday, the outgoing Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a summary regarding her appointment as advocate general. She is replacing Shakilur Rehman who has resigned from the office. Notification for her appointment was issued on Tuesday.
Asma Hamid holds a postgraduate degree in constitutional law from America’s Harvard University. She was appointed as an Assistant Advocate General in January, 2014 and as Additional Advocate General in March, 2015. She has also assumed responsibilities as Acting Advocate General in charge of the office on two previous occasions, according to media reports.
Being a Supreme Court advocate, Hamid has successfully represented Punjab in several cases in the Lahore High Court and the apex court. Her representation of the state in the distilleries case had won billions of rupees in tax revenue.
In 2017, her proactive efforts to regulate the cement industry bore fruit when the Punjab government placed a ban on further establishment and enlargement of the industry , mainly in Potowar region, without permission from a cabinet committee.
In the same case, cement plants also now have to cease their use of groundwater in Chakwal, within six months, to maintain the level of holy water in the sacred pool of the Hindu pilgrimage site at Katas Raj.
In the Supreme Court, she assisted the court in several human rights cases as well as matters in which suo motu action has been taken by the court, including the rape and murder of little girl, Zainab rape in Kasur, and silicosis prevention case among others.
Hamid has also advised the chief minister on various issues ranging from Energy, Property, Environment, Media, Tax, State and Evacuee Property, Service, Contract and other laws.
