IHC rejects the defamation of Judge Sattar on social media

ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Sunday dismissed a false, malicious and derogatory social media campaign against its judge, Justice Babar Sattar.

In this regard, the Public Relation Officer (PRO) of IHC issued a statement stating that as part of the malicious campaign, the confidential information was posted and reposted on social media, including travel documents of Judge Sattar, his wife and children, accompanied by untrue information. and malicious accusations, and details of his properties listed in his tax returns.

He said the judge has never held a nationality other than that of Pakistan and that he studied law at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and had a university education at Harvard Law School.

The statement stated that he worked as a lawyer at a law firm in New York and that while living and working in the US, he was granted the Permanent Resident Card (also called Green Card) after being considered a person of extraordinary ability . He left his job in the US in 2005 and returned to Pakistan, where he has been living and working in Pakistan ever since.

It further said that Judge Babar Sattar’s wife and children are citizens of Pakistan and the US and they were living in the US until 2021 but returned to Pakistan after Judge Babar Sattar was appointed as a judge of the IHC and are now living in Islamabad.

It went on to say that before Justice Sattar’s appointment as a judge of IHC, he had reported to the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court that he was a Pakistani national and had a green card that allowed him to travel to the US without a visa.

The statement said that Justice Babar Sattar’s mother is an educationist who sole proprietor established a school in Rawalpindi in 1992. Judge Babar Sattar has no ownership interest in it and is not involved in its management.

It added that before he was appointed judge, his law firm acted as legal advisor to the school and received a commission for his legal services, while the judge owns real estate in Pakistan and the US, which are listed in his tax returns which were checked. by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan prior to his appointment as a judge.

It was also said that all the real estate he owns was inherited or acquired while he was a lawyer, and that he has not acquired any real estate since his appointment as a judge. He is not involved in the management of any business entity.

The PRO stated that as a judge he has not presided over any cases in which any of his family members have any interest. He also said that this press release is being issued because the Islamabad High Court is committed to upholding and enforcing the Code of Conduct for Supreme Court Judges and, as an institution exercising public authority, remains accountable to the people of Pakistan.