PM of Pakistan-administered Kashmir sacked by court

Pakistan administered Kashmir's Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas was sacked from his office by a court today in a contempt case, the court order said.

Ilyas comes from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been locked in a political wrangling with the government that succeeded him in Islamabad.

The Kashmir leader was tried over a speech he made last week criticising the courts for what he said was interference in his government's affairs, a court official told Reuters.

Chief Justice of the Muzaffarabad High Court Sadaqat Hussain Raja, who headed a panel of four judges that convicted Ilyas, told a packed courtroom that he "stands disqualified from being the member of the legislative assembly and ceases to hold any public office".

A convicted leader under Pakistani law would be disqualified from contesting any elections for five years. He has the right to appeal to the Supreme Court against the sentence.

The court showed a video of Ilyas's speech and asked him to verify whether it was him speaking and whether he wanted to contest the content of the speech, according to a Reuters reporter in the courtroom.

Ilyas did not contest and instead tendered an apology, which the court rejected.

The disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan. Pakistani-administered Kashmir is a semi-autonomous region with its own regional government.