Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas was disqualified on Monday by a full court bench of the region’s High court for his derogatory remarks against superior judiciary in his speeches at public gathering.
Tanveer Ilyas was ceased to hold the office of the AJK Prime Minister after the today’s verdict and now its legislative assembly will have to elect a new prime minister.
However, he has a right to appeal the decision in the AJK Supreme Court.
After today’s verdict, Ilyas has ceased to hold the office of the AJK prime minister and the legislative assembly will have to elect a new premier. He has the right to appeal the decision in the AJK Supreme Court.
Tanveer Ilyas, at a gathering in Islamabad the other day, blamed the judiciary for affecting functioning of his government by granting stay order.
The court while playing three video clips of Ilyas, including one of his speech on Saturday asked him during the hearing today whether he contested the charges.
Ilyas apologized unconditionally to the court saying “I place myself at the mercy of the court.”
However, Justice Khalid Rasheed questioned what guarantee there was that Ilyas would not resort to doing the same in the future.
The court subsequently rejected the AJK premier’s apology. Justice Rasheed read out the judgement, sentencing the AJK premier till the rising of the court.
The judgment said Ilyas had admitted to the contemptuous remarks and also refrained from submitting “any other objection or reply” in response to the notice issued. Therefore, “it can be safely held that his said act comes within the ambit of contempt of court under Article 45 of the AJK interim Constitution, 1974.”
The order stated that it had “no cavil to declare that [the] contemnor is guilty of committing contempt of this court”.
“Although, the contemnor is not entitled to get any relief as he continuously scandalised the prestige of higher judiciary at public places but as the contemnor has tendered [an] unconditional apology before the court, hence, we hereby opt a lenient view and punish him till rising of the court under Article 45 of the AJK interim Constitution, 1974.”
The order said that since Ilyas had been “punished by the court”, he stood disqualified from being elected, from being a member of the legislative assembly and from holding any public office for two years.
After the verdict was announced, Ilyas then went to the AJK SC where he again tendered an apology for his remarks. The SC adjourned the hearing for two weeks.
