By Nadir Baloch
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has replaced Women’s Harassment Committee head Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz with the approval of Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar.
Earlier, human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir had filed a harassment complaint against Chief Justice Dogar. The complaint had been submitted to the IHC’s workplace harassment committee through a court associate, sources said.
According to a notification issued by the IHC registrar’s office, Justice Inaam Amin Minhas has been appointed as the new head of the Women’s Harassment Committee, replacing Justice Imtiaz.
Soon after Mazari filed the complaint, Justice Raft Imtiaz, as committee head, had formed a panel to probe complaints against judges, including the chief justice. The panel included Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, with Justice Rafat Imtiaz also serving as a member.
Justice Rafat Imtiaz had issued the notification as the competent authority, but she has now been removed from the post.
Mazari has sought an inquiry under the Protection Against Harassment of Women Act to determine that the complaint was subjected to “hostile, discriminatory, hostile, threatening, intimidating and unreasonable behavious at the hands of (respondent) Chief Justice Dogar.”
The complaint further requested that “the chief justice be held guilty of harassment” and that the matter be referred to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). Mazari also shared her application on the social media platform X.
Earlier this week, Mazari filed an application with the IHC registrar, seeking preservation of CCTV footage of an “unfortunate incident” during her exchange with the chief justice. She also shared the plea on social media platform X, requesting that footage from Courtroom No 1 between 9 am and 11 am on 11 September 2025 be preserved. She attached a USB with her application, asking for a copy of the footage as well.
The exchange took place during a hearing on a petition seeking removal of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) chief Dr Mahrang Baloch’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
On Friday, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) strongly condemned the incident. In a joint statement, LHCBA President Malik Asif Ahmed Neswana, Vice President Abdul Rehman Ranjha and Secretary Farrukh Ilyas Cheema said lawyers appear before courts in a professional capacity and “deserve the same respect and dignity as judges.”
They criticised what they called the judge’s “authoritarian attitude,” terming it a violation of the judicial code of conduct, and urged the SJC to remove the IHC chief justice from office.
The Balochistan Bar Council echoed the demand, while the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) also condemned Justice Dogar’s “highly inappropriate behaviour.”
The Women’s Action Forum issued a statement describing his conduct as patriarchal, misogynistic and gender-biased, and criticised remarks directed at Mazari’s husband as “paternalistic.”
During Thursday’s hearing, Justice Dogar reportedly warned Mazari of contempt proceedings and even remarked that he could “have her arrested” after she allegedly referred to him as a “dictator.” Mazari said she was only performing her professional duty and was willing to face contempt proceedings if the court deemed it necessary.