Islamabad High Court Judges Seek SC Action to Protect Independence
Five senior Islamabad High Court judges have lodged a powerful plea in the Supreme Court, accusing the IHC’s own administration of undermining judicial independence.
Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Babar Sattar, Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, Saman Rafat, and Ejaz Ishaq Khan say they were forced to act after repeated executive interference in their judicial work.
The petitions detail how attempts to pressure judges began during Justice Aamer Farooq’s tenure and intensified under Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar. Judges claim transfers from provincial high courts, revised seniority lists, and new rules were imposed “with indecent haste” to penalize existing IHC judges.
They allege that Chief Justice Dogar misused administrative powers to reconstitute benches, restrict senior judges, and approve rules without full-court consultation. The petitions further accuse the IHC of adopting “illegal” Practice and Procedure Rules, undermining transparency, and threatening judicial autonomy.
Calling it the “takeover” of the Islamabad High Court, the judges urge the Supreme Court to intervene, restore proper judicial processes, and safeguard independence — a move described as unprecedented in Pakistan’s judicial history.
