ISLAMABAD: Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a detailed letter to IHC Chief Justice Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar, sharply criticising his leadership and highlighting what he described as systemic “judicial ills” undermining the institution.
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The letter, widely circulated among IHC judges, surfaced just ahead of a full court meeting convened to mark the beginning of the new judicial year, on Wednesday. The letter, reflective of internal dissent, signals rising tensions within the IHC as concerns mount over judicial independence, administrative irregularities, and the overall functioning of the court.
FULL COURT MEETING OVERSHADOWED BY INTERNAL DISCORD
Chief Justice Dogar had called for a full court meeting on Tuesday, attended by all serving IHC judges, and scheduled a follow-up session for Wednesday afternoon. Traditionally used to evaluate court performance and discuss administrative plans, the session is now expected to be dominated by the fallout from Justice Sattar’s letter and similar concerns raised by another judge, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq.
Justice Ishaq also addressed a letter to his fellow judges, accusing the judiciary of subservience to executive influence and warning of a growing culture of submission within the ranks.
ALLEGATIONS OF CENTRALISED POWER, EROSION OF JUDICIAL NORMS
In his extensive letter, Justice Sattar listed a range of institutional concerns under IHC Chief Justice Dogar’s tenure. He accused the top judge of undermining the IHC’s collegial structure by excluding senior judges from key administrative committees, bypassing norms in the constitution of benches, and arbitrarily reallocating case dockets, including stripping both Justice Sattar and Justice Ishaq of their caseloads.
Among the most serious allegations was the claim that the Chief Justice had transformed his office into a “monocracy” by unilaterally asserting powers, such as requiring judges to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for international travel, a move Justice Sattar compared to placing judges on an unofficial Exit Control List.
CRITICISM OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION AND PERFORMANCE TRANSPARENCY
Justice Sattar also raised questions about the lack of transparency in the assignment of cases and preparation of rosters, which he said favored recently appointed or transferred judges while sidelining senior, permanent members of the court.
He also criticised what he described as “manipulated” performance metrics issued under the current administration, which painted certain judges as outperforming others without fair or consistent evaluation standards. He called for the establishment of an objective, consensus-based performance review system and guidelines for the reporting of judgments to ensure institutional credibility.
WARNING AGAINST INSTITUTIONAL DECAY
Justice Sattar concluded his letter with a warning that the IHC was on a path of institutional decay and urged fellow judges not to lose hope in their ability to course-correct. He acknowledged that raising such issues might be seen as futile but argued that honesty and open dialogue were essential for reform.
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“It takes decades to build institutions, but they can be destroyed exponentially,” he wrote. “We are all grown adults who should be able to speak candidly about the state of our institution’s disrepair.”
The IHC administration had recently reassigned all pending cases from both Justice Sattar and Justice Ishaq, effectively rendering them without dockets. Critics are seeing this as part of the internal power struggle now coming to light.