AJK SC rejects Tanveer Ilyas’ appeal against disqualification

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court rejected on Wednesday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Sardar Tanveer Ilyas’s appeal challenging his disqualification on technical grounds.

Later, the court decided to hold hearing of the petition on Thursday morning.

On Tuesday, he was disqualified as PM by the AJK High Court in a contempt of court case.

Ilyas was summoned to AJK’s supreme court and high court for using a “threatening tone” in one of his speeches. Appearing before the high court, Ilyas tendered an unconditional apology. However, the court disqualified Ilyas from his seat in the AJK legislature.

Justice Chaudhry Khalid Rasheed read out the verdict of the full bench, sentencing Ilyas till the rising of the court.

Iliyas appeared and surrendered unconditional apology for his contemptuous speech but the court announced the order disqualifying him from office.

He then proceeded to Supreme Court to appear which had also summoned him.

Meanwhile, Khawaja Farooq Ahmed has been appointed as the interim prime minister of AJK.

“The president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, in exercise of powers vested in him under sub-article (1) of Article 17 of the AJK Constitution, is pleased to call upon Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, the most senior minister, to perform functions of the Office of the Prime Minister until a new prime minister has been appointed and elected upon his office,” AJK’s chief secretary said in a notification.