AJK SC to hear Sardar Tanveer’s appeal tomorrow

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court will hear Sardar Tanveer Ilyas’ petition tomorrow (Thursday) against the AJK High Court’s decision to disqualify him as the region’s prime minister.

The case was fixed for hearing after the registrar of the AJK Supreme Court removed the objections against the third appeal.

A day earlier, the High Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir had found Sardar Tanveer guilty of contempt of court and disqualified him as the member of the AJK Legislative Assembly and consequently as the region’s prime minister.

Sardar Tanveer challenged that decision in the Supreme Court, the registrar office of which returned the plea earlier on Wednesday with objections over Sardar Tanveer’s title that mentioned him as the “AJK prime minister”.

AJK Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram observed that the high court’s ruling will be maintained till the top court takes action and Sardar Tanveer would be considered a former prime minister.

Sardar Tanveer’s lawyers were then asked to file a fresh appeal.

Meanwhile late on Tuesday night, Khawaja Farooq Ahmed was appointed as the interim prime minister by the office of AJK’s chief secretary.

‘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,’ it said.

The notification was issued after a summary regarding the same was sent to the chief secretary by the AJK president.