Offer daily prayers for annual salary hike in PoK court

The court employees in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will have to offer daily prayers punctually - both in and outside the court- as their annual raises would now hinge on their offering prayers regularly and on the prescribed times, a top Judge has said.

Ibrahim Zia, who took oath as the 12th chief justice of the PoK Supreme Court on Saturday, has directed the court employees to ensure punctuality in the court and in their prayer timings, the Express Tribune reported.

"The annual salary hikes of court employees would now hinge on their offering prayers regularly and on the prescribed times," he said, while declaring that offering prayers was now mandatory for all employees of the court.

Zia said the move would ensure that employees offer daily prayers regularly and he himself would be leading some prayers. "To make sure employees offer their prayers regularly, Justice Zia said they would be secretly checked by the court," the paper said.

However, it was not clear what mechanism he would use to check employees' punctuality of prayers outside the office. Five times daily prayers is one of the pillars in the faith of Islam and an obligatory religious duty for Muslims.

The Chief Justice also directed court employees to work with dedication, honesty and regularity to ensure speedy justice to the public. After taking oath, Justice Zia administered oath to officers working in the Supreme Court, a first in the history of the apex court.