Imaan Mazari approaches IHC committee, SJC against Justice Sarfraz Dogar

ISLAMABAD:  Rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir on Monday approached an inquiry committee of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar following last week’s altercation between them. On Thursday, Justice Dogar had warned Mazari of a contempt of court case and was reported to have gone as far as passing warning remarks along the lines of “getting a hold of her”. Multiple lawyers’ bodies had issued condemnatory statements and called for the judge’s dismissal from the post of the IHC top judge.

In a post on X on Monday, the lawyer, who is known to be vocal in her criticism of Pakistani authorities, said she had filed a complaint against the judge before the IHC’s workplace harassment committee and a reference for misconduct before the SJC.

The complaint was filed under Section 4 (procedure for holding inquiry) of the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010.

The complaint requested the IHC inquiry committee to initiate an investigation.

It further pleaded the committee to declare she was “subjected to sexist, discriminatory, hostile, threatening, intimidating and unreasonable behaviour at the hands of the respondent chief justice” and declare that Justice Dogar was “guilty of harassing the complainant and consequently issue appropriate recommendations to the competent authority (i.e. SJC) against the respondent as envisaged under Section 4(4) of the 2010 act”.

It also requested the committee to grant any other relief “deemed fair and reasonable in the circumstances” in her favour.

The complaint said that the judge had engaged in an “unprovoked and unnecessary tirade” against her during last week’s proceedings.

“Even after the incident, the complainant felt insulted, humiliated and degraded as a result of the respondent chief justice’s brazen abuse of authority. The sentiment was shared by the complainant’s husband and lawyer colleagues who were present in the courtroom and witnessed the exchange. A collective sense of disbelief and anger was expressed at the unprecedented scenes.

“Unfortunately, while the respondent chief justice had earlier made clear to the complainant that he held a personal grudge/bias against her (as reflected in his conduct and remarks in multiple cases fixed before him), his conduct on September 11 crossed all limits of decency,” the complaint said, adding that in an earlier case involving journalist Asad Ali Toor on August 12, “the respondent chief justice had passed inappropriate and personal remarks towards the complainant, including: ‘Why are you so stubborn?’ Journalists and court reporters, along with the complainant’s husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, were witnesses to the same.”

The complaint said last week’s incident was a “part of the broader pattern of intimidation and degrading treatment meted out to the complainant at the hands of the respondent chief justice, in complete abuse of his position of authority. The respondent chief justice has repeatedly, in courtrooms full of litigants, lawyers, court staff and police officials, aggressively (and often in a vulgar manner) asserted his power (which he is meant to exercise as a trust for the people of Pakistan, not to assert his personal fiefdom)”. Monitoring Desk