KARACHI, June 25: The new chief law officer of the government of Sindh, Barrister Khalid Jawed Khan, actively participated in the 2007 lawyers’ movement for the restoration of the judiciary in the country.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan on Tuesday appointed Barrister Khan as new advocate general for Sindh in place of Abdul Fatah Malik, who has resigned.

Barrister Khan’s professional career spans more than two decades. He enrolled as a high court advocate in 1991 and became an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2004.

He served as a legal adviser to the attorney general for Pakistan and, in this capacity, advised Benazir Bhutto during her second tenure (1993-1996) as prime minister.

His father, Prof N. D. Khan, is a seasoned politician who has been associated with the Pakistan Peoples Party for a long time.

The 49-year-old Karachi-based lawyer specialises in vast areas of law, including constitutional law, income tax, sales tax, customs, land matters, banking law and service laws.

He obtained his LLB degree from London University, BCL (bachelor of civil law) degree from Oxford University, LLM from Harvard University and completed his bar-at-law from Lincoln's Inn.

Barrister Khan struggled against the imposition of the Provisional Constitution Order by former military dictator retired General Pervez Musharraf and wrote several articles against the unconstitutional action.

His appointment came at a time when rumours are circulating that the Sindh government is in a confrontational mood with the apex court over a recent judgement against out-of-turn promotions.

However, Barrister Khan told Dawn on Tuesday that there would be no confrontation as he would try to serve as a bridge between the executive and the judiciary. “Every judgement of the courts would be honoured,” he said.

His predecessor, Advocate Fatah Malik, was appointed on Dec 30, 2010. He served in that position for a little over two and a half years, and tendered his resignation reportedly due to some differences with the Sindh government.