LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) on Friday strongly condemned the reported exchange of harsh words between Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari.
In a joint statement, LHCBA President Malik Asif Ahmed Neswana, Vice President Abdul Rehman Ranjha and Secretary Farrukh Ilyas Cheema said that lawyers, as officers of the court, “deserve the same respect and dignity as judges who conduct proceedings within the framework of the Constitution and law.”
The controversy arose from Thursday’s hearing of a petition seeking removal of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) chief Dr Mahrang Baloch’s name from the Exit Control List, during which Justice Dogar cautioned Mazari of possible contempt proceedings after she allegedly called him a “dictator.”
Judge’s clarification
On Friday, Justice Dogar issued a clarification, saying Mazari was “like a daughter” to him.
“As chief justice and as an elder, I was only advising her. My words were taken out of context and turned into a controversy,” he said, adding that his intention was only to prevent personal attacks in court.
The judge maintained he had cautioned Mazari in the presence of her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali, but never threatened to physically “grab” her. He said contempt proceedings, if pursued, could have harmed her legal career.
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Mazari’s response
Mazari, however, rejected the explanation. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), she said: “The chief justice first behaved inappropriately, harassed me at my workplace, and threatened me in open court. He has shown no remorse for his conduct and is still making sexist remarks. I am neither his daughter nor a child — I am a professional lawyer.”
She added that the judge had “created a storm of disrespect” and was now trying to shift blame by claiming his words were misquoted.
Mazari thanked the LHCBA for issuing what she called a “crystal clear” statement in her support.
Bar’s stance
The LHCBA office-bearers said Mazari had appeared in court strictly to represent her client and not for personal reasons. They termed the judge’s “authoritarian attitude” a violation of judicial code of conduct and urged the Supreme Judicial Council to take notice and remove Justice Dogar from office.
Meanwhile, Mazari’s husband Hadi Ali also criticised the chief justice, alleging in a post on X that the judge was “committing a new act of misconduct every day” and had contradicted his own words from the previous day.
