Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's PM Sardar Ilyas sacked by court in contempt case

Sardar Ilyas had accused the court of interfering in the government's affairs.

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas was sacked on April 11 by a court in connection to a contempt case.

Ilyas, who belongs to former Pakistani premier Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was PoK's PM since 2022. His disqualification comes a week after he blamed the region's high court for interfering and adversely affecting his government's functioning.

The ousted leader had particularly blamed the court for stalling an education project of over $15 million, being funded by Saudi Arabia. He also marked his apprehension over the court's decision to "de-seal" tobacco factories that were involved in "tax evasion to the tune of billions of rupees", local media reports said.

A four-judge bench headed by the high court's Chief Justice Sadaqat Hussain Raja announced that Ilyas "stands disqualified from being the member of the legislative assembly and ceases to hold any public office", news agency Reuters reported.

Ilyas' disqualification as the PM of PoK comes a year after Khan, the chief of PTI, had to resign as the premier of Pakistan after losing parliamentary majority.

Khan has seen involved in fierce political wrangling with the Shehbaz Sharif-led government that succeeded him. The cricketer-turned-politician's party had dissolved the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier this year, in a bid to pressurise the country's election commission to hold early polls.

The term of all provincial assemblies and the parliament of Pakistan was scheduled to end later this year. However, following a court order last week, the polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are expected to be conducted in May.