MUZAFFARABAD: Supreme Court Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will hear the former prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas’ petition tomorrow (Thursday) against the high court’s decision to disqualify him from the top office.
The top court Wednesday fixed the case for hearing tomorrow. Earlier in the day, the registrar of AJK top court removed the objections against the third appeal. In a major setback to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Tuesday, the AJK High Court removed Sardar Ilyas from the post of AJK prime minister, making him the first ever AJK premier to be disqualified in a contempt of court case.
Following the disqualification, the PTI leader moved AJK’s top court against the high court decision via a plea that however, mentioned Ilyas as the “AJK prime minister”. At this, registrar’s office of the supreme court returned the application with objections. Earlier, AJK Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram admonished the petitioner’s lawyers for mentioning Tanveer Ilyas as the “current prime minister”. “Why didn’t you comply when the Registrar raised objections,” the top judge asked.
At this, Ilyas’s lawyer requested the top court to consider it written as “former prime minister”. “How could we read it as ‘former’. You are a senior lawyer and this is Supreme Court,” the chief justice remarked. He observed that the AJK high court’s ruling will be maintained till the top court gives its decision and Tanveer Ilyas would be considered a former prime minister.
The court then directed the petitioner’s lawyers to file new plea, adding the court will see when to take it up.
AJK High Court disqualified Ilyas
On Tuesday, a full bench of the AJK high court led by Justice Sadaqat Hussain Raja, conducted the hearing of the case. Ilyas gave an unconditional apology to the court, saying, “I apologise unconditionally if any of my words hurt the judges.” But the AJK prime minister was sentenced till the rising of the court.
