[1] He was born in the village of Bangoin near Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, into a political family, as his late uncle Sardar Sagheer Chughtai has been elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from their native constituency.
[2] He is the owner of The Centaurus and Taj Residencia housing project the largest shopping mall in Islamabad.
He was elected to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from LA-15 Bagh-II as a candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the 2021 Azad Kashmiri general election.
He received 19,825 votes and defeated Sardar Ziaul Qamar, a candidate of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
[4] On 18 April 2022, Ilyas was elected as the 14th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, succeeding Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi, who resigned after the PTI initiated a vote of no confidence against the latter.