- highlights SC judgement regarding disclosure of information, saying it will ‘bury’ malicious campaign for good
ISLAMABAD: Senator Faisal Vawda on Tuesday submitted a request to the registrar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) demanding the release of communications between SC Justice Athar Minallah and IHC’s Justice Babar Sattar concerning the latter’s green card.
“In the interest of justice and to uphold the dignity of constitutional courts […] I request from your esteemed office the disclosure of the documents detailing this [correspondence between the two justices] to put an end to this controversy and malicious campaign,” Vawda stated in his letter.
The senator’s letter addresses the online campaign targeting Justice Sattar, which accuses him of possessing U.S. citizenship and having a business stake in a private school within the country.
This situation prompted a reaction from the IHC, which issued a statement through a public relations officer denouncing the “malicious” campaign against the judge.
“Justice Sattar has only ever held Pakistani nationality,” the statement clarified, adding that the judge’s wife and children hold dual citizenship of Pakistan and the U.S.
They resided in the U.S. until 2021 but moved back to Pakistan following his appointment as an IHC judge, the statement further noted.
The IHC PRO also specified that since his appointment, Justice Sattar has not purchased any property. All properties owned by him, whether in the U.S. or Pakistan, were either inherited or acquired while he was practicing law, and have been declared in his tax returns.
Citing a Supreme Court ruling, which states that constitutional courts must release information under Article 19-A of the Constitution, Vawda noted that prior to his appointment as an IHC judge, Justice Sattar informed then Chief Justice Minallah of his Pakistani nationality and possession of a green card, which allows him visa-free travel to the U.S.
It is also notable that Justice Sattar is one of six IHC judges who wrote to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) regarding the alleged meddling by members of the executive, including intelligence agency operatives, in judicial matters.
He is also a member of the bench in the audio leaks case and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday for their unsuccessful attempts to have him recused from the case.
