Islamabad — The Islamabad High Court has ordered the removal of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Major General retired Hafeez ur Rehman from office. Justice Babar Sattar, ruling on a petition by Usama Khilji, found the appointment not in accordance with legal requirements and directed that a senior PTA member take temporary charge until a new chairman is appointed through a transparent process. The court instructed that copies of the decision be sent to the cabinet secretary and PTA members for implementation.
In a separate matter, a two member bench headed by Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar directed that Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri not perform judicial work while a Supreme Judicial Council reference regarding his law degree is under consideration. Following the order, his name was removed from all court rosters. The Islamabad Bar Council, in a press conference, expressed strong opposition to the decision, announced a complete strike in the district and high courts, and called for a protest rally.
Meanwhile, lawyer Iman Mazari has filed a reference in the Supreme Judicial Council against Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar stating that she was ridiculed and threatened during court proceedings. A committee was initially formed to review her complaint and later reconstituted under Justice Inam Amin Minhas. Separately, lawyer Adnan Iqbal submitted an application to the Islamabad Bar Council seeking the cancellation of Mazari’s license citing a pending sedition case and alleging that she had made derogatory remarks about government officials.
According to BBC Urdu, these three developments, the removal of the PTA chairman, the suspension of Justice Jahangiri’s judicial duties, and the legal actions involving Iman Mazari, have heightened tensions within the legal community. The Bar Council has urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice, emphasising that constitutional procedures and judicial independence must be upheld.