Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, a lawmaker from Imran Khan’s political party, has been elected as the new “prime minister” of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The previous premier, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, was disqualified by the region’s high court for maligning the top judiciary. Haq was elected with the trust of all 48 members present in the assembly, including major parties like Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
Sardar Tanveer was disqualified on April 11 for committing contempt of court by criticizing the top judiciary in a public speech. He indirectly blamed the judiciary for affecting the functioning of his government and interfering in the domain of the executive through the grant of stay orders. Though he apologized and appealed, his disqualification was upheld by the region’s apex court.
An assembly session held on Monday to elect a new “prime minister” was adjourned without any polling. However, Haq was eventually elected on Thursday.
