AJK Supreme Court Grants Interim Relief To Sardar Mir Akbar Khan

Faizan Hashmi Published August 01, 2025 | 05:50 PM

MIRPUR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Aug, 2025) The Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has temporarily suspended the decision of the AJK Election Tribunal, granting interim relief to Sardar Mir Akbar Khan, Member of the Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The Tribunal had declared the elections to constituency LA-15 (Sharqi Bagh) null and void on July 22 2025, due to alleged rigging and administrative irregularities in the AJK Legislative Assembly elections held in July 2021. This decision had also led to the termination of Mir Akbar Khan's legislative assembly membership, the local correspondent of APP reported this from Mirpur on Friday.

According to the details, Sardar Mir Akbar Khan had lodged an appeal in the Supreme Court of AJK, challenging the Tribunal's verdict. The apex court, comprising Acting Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Naseem and Judge Raza Ali Khan, announced the order on Friday, temporarily suspending the Tribunal's decision. The court's order stated that the operation of the impugned judgment would remain suspended until the final disposal of the appeal.

The Supreme Court's decision was based on the prima facie arguable case, balance of convenience, and irreparable loss. The court observed that the Election Tribunal's decision to declare the entire constituency's election void was beyond the pleadings, as the petitioners had only challenged the election process at 17 out of 168 polling stations. The court also noted that the Tribunal had attributed corrupt or illegal practices to the polling staff without making them a party to the case.

While the Supreme Court's interim order has provided relief to Sardar Mir Akbar Khan, the final decision on the appeal is still pending. If the Tribunal's decision is restored, by-elections would have to be held by October 22, 2025. The Supreme Court's order has provided temporary reprieve to Mir Akbar Khan, allowing him to continue as a member of the Legislative Assembly until the final outcome of the case.

APP/ahr/378