In a major development, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) High Court on Tuesday disqualified Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Sardar Tanveer Ilyas for contempt of court, making him the first premier of the region to be disqualified in a contempt of court case.
According to the details, a full bench, led by Justice Sadaqat Hussain Raja, conducted the hearing of the case. During the hearing, the clips featuring the prime minister were played.
“Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir has committed contempt of the court,” the bench said in its verdict.
The sentence will not come into force after the completion of the court’s time. The sentence period has been completed, the high court said in a detailed order released after the case hearing.
The decision of the high court comes after Ilyas was summoned to AJK’s supreme court and high court for using a “threatening tone” in one of his speeches.
Read more: No Room for Terrorism in Kashmiri Struggle for Freedom: AJK PM
At a function in Islamabad over the weekend, Ilyas had indirectly blamed the judiciary for affecting the functioning of his government and interfering in the domain of the executive through the grant of stay orders.
Pertinent to mention that in April 2022, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas was elected unopposed as the 14th prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. PTI Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan nominated Ilyas as PTI’s candidate for the prime minister’s office.
Reacting to the development, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said that it is important to respect the decisions of the court whether it is the prime minister of Pakistan or AJK as the country cannot run by destroying the judicial system.
Read more: AJK PM sacks 5 ministers over misconduct
“Be it the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir or Pakistan, it is important to respect the court decisions. The country cannot run by destroying the judicial system. The Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir should apologize to the court, I hope he will get relief from the Supreme Court. The Prime Minister of Pakistan should learn a lesson from the court’s decision,” Fawad Chaudhry said.
آزاد کشمیر کا وزیر اعظم ہو یا پاکستان کا، عدالتی فیصلوں کا احترام ضروری ہے، عدالتی نظام کو تباہ کر کے ملک نہیں چل سکتے، وزیر اعظم آزاد کشمیر عدالت سے معافی مانگیں امید ہے انھیں سپریم کورٹ سے ریلیف ملے گا، وزیر اعظم پاکستان اس فیصلے سے سبق حاصل کریں گے https://t.co/aT756iqvZ3
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 11, 2023