MUZAFFARABAD: In his first formal address to the officials of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court after taking the oath on Saturday, Chief Justice Chaudhry Mohammad Ibrahim Zia made it clear to them that their annual increments would be conditional to their regularity in offering prayers.

“From today onwards, every officer and official in the Supreme Court will be bound to offer prayers with punctuality. Annual increment will be linked to regularity in prayers,” he said.

He said there would be two shifts for prayers.

“I will lead the first shift and those who are left behind for any reason will join the second jamaat that will be led by our prayer leader,” said the CJ, who had been an active member and office-bearer of the Jamaat-i-Islami during the days of his legal practice.

“I will not even deprive those of our employees who carry out security duties, including policemen, of prayer offerings, because that is our foremost obligation, as ordained by our Lord,” he said.

Justice Zia takes oath as AJK apex court CJ

The CJ said he would constitute a “nizam-i-salaat” committee and get it checked in secret as to who had and who had not offered prayers.

He said he did not like falsehood, trickery and double-dealing and warned that strict disciplinary action would be taken against those found practising such traits.

He directed the staff to give equal respect to a common litigant that they gave to lawyers or influential people.

“From the chief justice to a sweeper, we all are human beings. We have equal rights but different duties and responsibilities which we ought to carry out with complete dedication, devotion, honesty and sincerity.”

“In discharge of duties, every public servant should rise above personal likes and dislikes, regional or ethnic prejudices, besides doing away with slackness, negligence, or dereliction of duty,” he said.

The CJ also took an oath from all employees for observance of these principles.

Earlier, Justice Zia was administered the oath as the 12 permanent CJ by AJK President Sardar Mohammad Masood Khan at the president’s secretariat.

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, Legislative Assembly Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir, senior minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, AJK High Court CJ Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, other cabinet and assembly members, judges, lawyers and government officials.

The notification about his elevation as CJ was issued on Feb 20. He has replaced Mohammad Azam Khan, who retired on Friday on attaining the age of superannuation.

Justice Zia was born in Kote village on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad on April 1, 1955 and after doing his LLB from the University Law College Punjab University in 1979, he started legal practice as pleader in Muzaffarabad.

He was enrolled as an advocate of the High Court in August 1982 and as an advocate of the Supreme Court in May 1984.

He also remained president of the Central Bar Association Muzaffarabad as well as member and vice chairman of AJK Bar Council.

He served as first chief prosecutor of the AJK Ehtesab Bureau in 2000. In December 2009, he was appointed AJK’s Advocate General until April 2010.

On April 2, 2010, he was inducted into the AJK apex court as an ad-hoc judge, an office he held until Dec 15, 2011, a day before his appointment as a permanent judge.

Justice Zia will continue as AJK CJ until 2020.

It may be mentioned here that the AJK Supreme Court comprises three judges, including the CJ.

After the retirement of the outgoing CJ, the current strength has reduced to two.

Unlike Pakistan, judges in the AJK Supreme Court can also be appointed directly, apart from elevation from the High Court.

Judges in the AJK’s superior judiciary are appointed by the AJK president on the advice of the chairman AJK Council, headed by the prime minister of Pakistan, after consultation with both or the apex court chief justice, as the case may be.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2017