Lawyers strike in protest of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha’s arrests halt all court proceedings, Islamabad High Court PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Islamabad’s lawyers began a three-day strike on Monday after the arrest and sentencing of advocates Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, with boycotts halting court proceedings across the capital.
Islamabad High Court Bar Association Secretary Manzoor Jajja confirmed that lawyers had been asked not to appear before courts. “Today, lawyers staged a strike in the Islamabad High Court. Lawyers did not appear in court, as requested,” he said.
Jajja said lawyers must remain united against what he described as police oppression and announced that they would proceed to the district courts in a convoy to formally register their protest. A rally later moved from the Deputy Commissioner’s office to the adjoining SSP office, where lawyers chanted slogans against the police.
The Islamabad Bar also banned police entry into court premises. Lawyers removed police personnel who had been stationed in the court canteen. Earlier in the day, a separate demonstration was held outside the Sessions Judge East court, where additional police were deployed to maintain order.
The strike also surfaced during a civil case hearing at the Islamabad High Court. Advocate Qaiser Abbas Gondal, appearing for one of the parties, informed the court that the strike was being observed in response to the detention of lawyers. He said the Bar Secretary was also scheduled to appear in the case but did not attend due to the strike.
Read: Lawyers Imaan, Hadi sent on 14-day judicial remand by Islamabad ATC after arrest
IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar sought details of the arrests, asking, “Which lawyers have been arrested?” Gondal replied that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha had been detained.
The chief justice then asked, “Do you consider them lawyers?” Gondal did not respond. “If you consider them lawyers, you may come to chamber and express your opinion,” the chief justice added.
Due to the strike, no progress was made in the scheduled court hearings.
Mazari and Chattha were arrested on Friday in Islamabad while reportedly heading to the district courts. An anti-terrorism court later sent them on a 14-day judicial remand.
The following day, a district and sessions court convicted the couple in a case related to controversial social media posts and sentenced them to 17 years in prison.
The case centres on alleged posts and reposts on X, formerly Twitter, which authorities described as “anti-state”. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency registered the case in August last year under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, alleging the content was intended to incite divisions and portray state institutions negatively.
The couple appeared before the court through a video link. Mazari alleged mistreatment in custody and announced a boycott of the proceedings.
Under the verdict, both were sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs5 million each under Peca Section 9, with one year of simple imprisonment in case of default. Under Section 10, they received 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs30 million each, with two years’ simple imprisonment in case of default. Under Section 26A, they were sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs1 million each, with six months’ simple imprisonment in case of default.
Political parties, parliamentarians and members of the legal community have condemned the convictions and sentences.
