Imaan Mazari seeks preservation of footage of exchange with IHC chief justice

ISLAMABAD: Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir has filed an application with the registrar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), requesting the preservation of CCTV footage of an “unfortunate incident” that occurred during her exchange with Chief Justice of the IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar earlier this week.

Mazari also shared her application on the social media platform X, stating: “I am writing this letter to request that CCTV footage of Courtroom No-1 of the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court from 9 am to 11 am on 11 September 2025 be preserved, as an unfortunate incident occurred with me during that time, making it essential to secure the recording of the exchange.”

In her plea, she also has requested a copy of the footage from the said date and time, attaching a USB with her application for that purpose.

The exchange occurred during a hearing on a petition seeking the 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 reported exchange of hot words between Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar and 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 are officers of the court and deserve the same respect and dignity as judges who conduct proceedings within the framework of the Constitution and law.”

The LHCBA office-bearers said Mazari had appeared before the IHC chief justice solely to represent her client, not for any personal reason, adding that the judge’s “authoritarian attitude” was a blatant violation of the judicial code of conduct. They stressed that such conduct must be kept away from judicial proceedings.

The bar leaders urged the Supreme Judicial Council to take strict notice of the incident and remove the IHC chief justice from office.

The statement followed Thursday’s courtroom exchange, when Chief Justice Dogar cautioned Mazari of possible contempt proceedings after she allegedly referred to him as a “dictator.”

The Balochistan Bar Council echoed this demand, while the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) also condemned Justice Dogar’s “highly inappropriate behaviour.”

The Women’s Action Forum, too, expressed anger over the judge’s alleged remarks, condemning what it described as extremely objectionable, patriarchal, misogynistic, gender-biased comments and conduct, including the paternalistic “language” used in addressing the lawyer’s husband.

During the hearing, Justice Dogar warned Mazari of contempt proceedings and, according to reports, even remarked that he could “have her arrested.”

Mazari maintained that she was only performing her professional duty and said that if the court deemed it necessary, she was ready to face contempt proceedings.

The following day, during another case hearing, Justice Dogar clarified that his remarks had been taken out of context and denied ever saying anything about “getting her arrested.”

That claim was challenged by Mazari’s husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, who was also present during Thursday’s hearing.

In his clarification, Justice Dogar further said that he considered Mazari like a daughter and was only trying to explain things to her. “I was advising her the way one advises a child, but she was not understanding. She kept repeating fundamental rights — does this court not have its own fundamental rights?” he remarked.

His comments sparked criticism from the country’s legal community as well as Mazari herself, who described the remarks as “gender discriminatory.”

Several lawyers’ organisations and bar associations issued statements condemning the IHC chief justice’s conduct, with some even calling for his removal from office.