MUZAFFARABAD: The High Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday ordered serving notices on a former chief justice (CJ) of AJK Supreme Court and eight government officials for their comments in connection with a petition challenging the “unlawful” sale of an official vehicle to the former CJ at a “throwaway price”.

The petition was filed by advocates Syed Zulqarnain Naqvi, Syed Yasir Ali Gillani and Waheed Awan and civil society activists Shahid Zaman Awan, Shahab Rathore and Yasir Hussain Mughal under Article 44 of the AJK Constitution, and was taken up by a single member bench comprising Justice Sadaqat Hussain Raja.

Mr Zia, according to a notification issued by the AJK law department on April 2, was provided a 2007 model 5-door Parado (MD-GA-566) on the occasion of his retirement [on March 31] “at a depreciated cost of Rs 410699, worked out by a deputy commissioner of the Inland Revenue Department”.

The petitioners informed the court that the vehicle was purchased by the AJK government “on its book value” from the almost defunct Azad Kashmir Logging and Sawmills Corporation and placed at the strength of the Central Transport Pool of Services and General Administration (S&GAD) department. From there, it was directly transferred to the AJK Supr­eme Court on Feb 17, where Rs818,300 were spent on its “wear and tear” at a private workshop in Pesh­awar according to a voucher dated March 28, just two days before its transfer to Mr Zia at the “wrongly worked out depreciated cost of Rs410699”, they added.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2020