New AJK CJ links staff’s increment with prayers

MUZAFFARABAD: Soon after taking the oath as the 12th Chief Justice of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court on Saturday, Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Ibrahim Zia announced in his first address to the court staff that the annual increment for the court employees would be conditional on the regular offering of prayers, which, he said, would be secretly checked.

The judge also announced that the offering of prayers would be mandatory for all employees and that there would be a designated court break for prayers.

“There shall be two groups of employees for prayers. I will lead one group, and our regular prayer leader will lead the other group,” Justice Zia continued.

In a more traditional vein, Justice Zia also encouraged the government servants to discharge their duties with complete dedication, devotion, honesty, and sincerity.

"In the discharge of duties, all public servants should rise above their personal likes and dislikes, regional or ethnic prejudices, besides doing away with negligence, or dereliction of duty," he added.

AJK PM Raja Farooq Haider, Legislative Assembly Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir, senior minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, outgoing chief justice Muhammad Azam Khan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, and several cabinet members, judges, lawyers and government officials attended the oath-taking ceremony.

The notification regarding Justice Zia’s appointment had been issued on Feb 13. He will continue as the chief justice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir until 2020.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court comprises three judges, including the chief justice. Unlike elsewhere in the country, judges in the AJK Supreme Court can also be appointed directly, apart from being elevated from the AJK High Court. Judges to the AJK superior judiciary are appointed by the AJK president on the advice of the chairman of the AJK Council, which is headed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and after consultation with other chief justices.