The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has replaced the head of its harassment committee on Monday with the approval of Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar.
According to sources, Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas has been appointed as the new head of the women’s harassment committee. Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz has been removed from the position.
A notification has been issued with the chief justice’s approval. Sources said details about the decision to remove Justice Rafat from the role will be released separately.
Justice Rafat, during her tenure as committee head, had set up a panel to hear complaints against judges. That committee included Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Justice Rafat herself as a member.
She had earlier issued the notification as the “competent authority,” but has now been removed from the post, court officials said.
Earlier, advocate Imaan Mazari filed a complaint with the Harassment Committee IHC CJ Dogar, following a verbal altercation at the court.
The complaint requests an inquiry under the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act to determine whether CJ Dogar made gender-based and threatening remarks toward Mazari, and seeks to hold the chief justice accountable for harassment of the complainant.
Read: Imaan Mazari, CJ Dogar exchange heated words in IHC
Mazari further requested that the matter of harassment against the CJ be forwarded to the competent authority, the Supreme Judicial Council.
The verbal altercation in question took place on Thursday between CJ Dogar and Mazari during the hearing of a petition seeking the removal of Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Mahrang Baloch's name from the Exit Control List. Mazari was representing the petitioner.
“You should keep your mouth shut and stay within the limits of respect,” the CJ said, irked by remarks he alleged Mazari had made outside the scope of the case. He referred to her calling him a “dictator” and subsequently declined to issue directives on the matter at hand.
During the hearing of a case on Friday, Justice Dogar clarified his remarks, stating that Mazari was "like a daughter to him". "Yesterday I was advising her as an elder and as chief justice, but my words were taken out of context and blown out of proportion," he said.
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