ISLAMABAD: Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir approached the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) again on Tuesday, with a complaint against the removal of Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz as the competent authority regarding workplace harassment at the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The judge was stripped of her powers by IHC Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar, hours after she took cognisance of a complaint against him.

The episode stems from a terse exchange between Justice Dogar and Ms Mazari last week, where the former reportedly used threatening and misogynistic language as he tried to warn her of contempt proceedings.

A day earlier, Ms Mazari filed a complaint against the top judge before the IHC’s workplace harassment committee, and also moved a misconduct reference before the SJC.

After Justice Saman Imtiaz took cognisance of her complaint, the IHC administration de-notified her as the “competent authority” and replaced her with Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Ms Mazari said she had filed an addendum to her initial complaint lodged with the SJC against Justice Dogar following yesterday’s “alarming development”.

She said Justice Imtiaz was “arbitrarily and with mala fide” removed as the competent authority just a few hours after she had lodged her complaint and a committee was constituted to inquire into the matter.

Advocate Mazari said the judge had formed a three-member inquiry team, but Chief Justice Dogar, “with clear mala fide and conflict of interest” removed her without giving any reason.

Instead of responding to the complaint, the chief justice used his administrative powers to alter the inquiry body and remove the only woman judge who received her complaint, she maintained.

Separately, a lawyer also filed a reference before the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC), seeking the cancellation of Ms Mazari’s licence to practice law, over her alleged involvement in “anti-state activities” and a “smear campaign against state functionaries”.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2025