IHC takes action against smear campaigners

Likely to form bench today to start contempt proceedings on basis of Justice Sattar’s letter

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has decided to initiate contempt proceedings against those responsible for running a smear campaign against IHC judge Babar Sattar.

The contempt proceedings will be based on a letter in which Justice Sattar informed IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq about a malicious social media campaign targeting him.

According to sources, the court will assign a diary number to the letter and convene a bench today (Tuesday) to hear the matter. On April 28, the IHC issued a statement denouncing the campaign against Justice Babar Sattar as “false and malicious”.

The court emphasized that the judge has solely held Pakistani nationality throughout his life.

The IHC clarified that Justice Sattar was granted a permanent resident card (also known as a green card) by the US due to his exceptional abilities after residing and working there.
It further stated that the judge left his US employment in 2005 and returned to Pakistan, where he has resided and worked since.

The IHC statement also mentioned that confidential information about Justice Sattar, including travel documents of him, his wife, and children, along with unfounded and malicious allegations, had been widely circulated on social media.
It noted that details of the judge’s properties, as provided in his tax returns, had also been shared on social platforms.

“He pursued law studies at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and completed graduate studies at Harvard Law School,” it added, highlighting his legal qualifications and previous work experience at a New York law firm.

Read IHC slams online campaign against its judge

“Before his appointment as an IHC judge, Justice Sattar had informed the Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court that he was a Pakistani national and held a Green Card allowing visa-free travel to the US.”

The statement further clarified that Justice Sattar’s wife and children hold dual citizenship of Pakistan and the US. “They resided in the US until 2021 but returned to Pakistan after Justice Babar Sattar’s appointment as an IHC judge and now reside in Islamabad,” it concluded.

The IHC noted that Justice Sattar's mother was an educationist, who had established a school in Rawalpindi in 1992 as its sole proprietor.

“Justice Babar Sattar has no ownership interest in it [the school] and is not involved with its management. Before being appointed a judge, his law firm acted as [the] legal adviser to the school and received a retainer fee for its legal services.”

The court clarified that Justice Sattar owned real estate assets in Pakistan and the US that were listed in his tax returns, which were scrutinised by the Judicial Commission of

Pakistan prior to his elevation as a judge.

“All real estate assets that he owns are either inherited or were acquired while he was a lawyer. He has acquired no real estate assets since his appointment as a judge,” it