KARACHI: Roads leading to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) were blocked for over two hours on Monday as lawyers, human rights activists and civil society members staged a protest against the conviction of Imaan Zainab Hazir-Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatta.
Activist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior, the son of late politician Murtaza Bhutto, staged a sit-in at the KPC Roundabout when he was stopped from reaching the press club.
Speaking to the media there, he said that police were not even allowing them to protest on the pavements at the spot.
“We are being deprived of fundamental human rights. I want to participate in the protest, but participation in the protest has become a crime,” he said.
On Mazari and Chattha’s sentencing, he said, “They were convicted over just a tweet. My father faced similar treatment by the police.”
Activist Sheema Kermani was also among the protesters staging a sit-in at the KPC Roundabout.
Meanwhile, the roads around Zainab market and the roundabout near the Arts Council of Pakistan remained blocked. The blockades were eventually removed and the sit-in ended at around 6:45pm when Zulfikar Bhutto Junior and others were allowed to go to the KPC.
An update on Karachi traffic police’s X account confirmed the closure of Deen Muhammad Wafai Road and Sarwar Shaheed Road at around 5pm.
The post said the roads were closed for “security” reasons, and as a consequence of the measure, the movement of traffic had been affected at I.I. Chundrigar Road, Shaheen Complex Chowk, M.R. Kiyani Chowrangi, Aiwan-i-Sadr Road, Fawwara Chowk and Zainab Market and its surrounding areas.
Lawyer and human rights activist Jibran Nasir also posted on social media platform X that “all roads leading to the KPC have been blocked by placing containers and parking buses. The state wants to deny journalists, advocates and civil society the right to protest and expose the sham trial and conviction of Advocates Imaan Mazaari and Hadi Ali Chattha”.
Journalist Sameer Mandhro also posted on X that “police [have] blocked all routes leading to the Karachi Press Club”.
“The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, journalists, lawyers, and civil society activists are protesting against the Peca Act and the sentence awarded to Imaan Mazari,” he added.
More to follow
