AJK Chief Justice links annual pay raise to mandatory prayers in court

MUZAFFARABAD: Chief Justice Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court (AJKSC) Ibrahim Zia has announced that all court officers should offer their prayers punctually and that there will be a designated court break for prayers.

He said this after taking oath as the 12th chief justice of AJK Supreme Court administered by President Sardar Masood in the President’s Secretariat on Saturday. AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider was also present at the ceremony.

He said that court employees would now receive annual increment after attending the mandatory prayers regularly and on prescribed times. “Annual increment will be linked to regularity in prayers,” he said.

The judge also announced that he would lead some 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,” he said.

The chief justice encouraged court employees to work with honesty and dedication and ensure speedy justice to the people. He also called on them to rise above personal likes, prejudices, and not being negligent during duty.

He also directed them to ensure punctuality in court and prayer timings. He warned that strict disciplinary action would be taken against those involved in falsehood and doube-dealing as he strongly abhors these traits.

Justice Zia said that employees would be secretly be checked by the court to make sure they are offering their prayers regularly and a special committee would be formed to check them.

The AJK government had appointed Justice Zia as the new chief justice February 20 after the retirement of Justice Azam Khan. He is expected to serve as the chief justice for three years till 2020.