Lawyers Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali Chattha sent to jail on judicial remand following arrest in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: Hours after the arrest of activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha on Friday, the couple was sent to jail on judicial remand by an anti-terrorism court.
The development came in a case registered against the two for protesting outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and allegedly manhandling the IHC Bar Association (IHCBA) president.
Strict security measures were enforced during the proceedings and lawyers and media persons were not allowed to enter the courtroom.
The case was heard by ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain.
It should be mentioned that prior to Imaan and Hadi’s arrest on Friday morning, the two had spent three nights at the office of IHCBA President Syed Wajid Ali Gilani.
Their arrest subsequently prompted lawyers’ bodies to announce a complete strike, strongly condemning the action.
Imaan and Hadi were scheduled to appear in a trial court on Friday in the controversial tweets case, in which Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Mohammad Afzal Majoka had issued their arrest warrants on January 16.
According to IHCBA officials, Imaan and Hadi, along with the bar association’s president, had gone to surrender before IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar.
However, they were informed by court staff that the chief justice was not present. They then returned to the bar association and later left for the district courts in an IHCBA vehicle, the officials said.
As the convoy left the IHC premises, police vehicles already deployed outside the building for the past three days began following them. Near the underpass located in front of Serena Hotel, police intercepted the vehicle, arrested the couple and shifted them to an undisclosed location.
Outside the Women Police Station, IHCBA President Gilani said that a new first information report (FIR) had been registered three days earlier against the two lawyers.
He said that while the IHC had granted relief in one case, other matters were pending before Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, where the accused were required to appear.
Meanwhile, IHCBA leaders alleged that despite assurances from the administration that the lawyers would not be arrested, police intercepted them and used force during the arrest.
They claimed that police personnel assaulted the lawyers, forcibly opened vehicle doors, and manhandled Imaan during her arrest. The IHCBA expressed concern for her safety and alleged misconduct by law enforcement officials.
The Islamabad Bar Council, IHCBA, and the district bar association jointly condemned the arrests, terming them an attack on the legal fraternity and the rule of law. Bar leaders warned that if such actions continued, a movement similar to the 2007 lawyers’ movement could be launched.
Further, IHCBA’s Secretary Manzoor Ahmed Jajja said he was assured that the couple would not be arrested until they surrendered before the trial court. He resigned in protest over the arrest.
Talking to Dawn, Jajja said that he has submitted his resignation to the Islamabad Bar Council.
He said that the quarters concerned assured them of giving the couple a safe passage to face the trial. “Following the arrest, I have decided to quit from the office,” he said.
Meanwhile, Additional District and Sessions Judge Majoka adjourned the hearing of the controversial tweet case against the couple due to their absence.
The court observed that the right to cross-examination could be closed if the accused failed to appear. Prosecutor Rana Usman informed the court that the accused were deliberately avoiding proceedings.
Judge Majoka directed that cross-examination be completed by 3:30pm on Saturday, stating that sufficient time had already been granted.
‘Fascism at its peak’
Earlier in the day, former minister and Imaan’s mother, Shireen Mazari, confirmed in a series of posts on X that her daughter had been arrested by police personnel, saying that she and her husband “have been arrested, put in separate cars, and taken away to unknown locations.”
The former lawmaker claimed that no first information report (FIR) was shown by the police and the bar association “sadly could do nothing”.
“Fascism at its peak. Emasculated men in power must be so pleased with this achievement!” Mazari added in a post on X.
Mazari also shared videos showing police vehicles trailing the lawyers’ car, with officers stopping the vehicle and opening its doors.
In a separate post, Mazari claimed the police “used violence on the bar leaders, [including] breaking the windows of the car, etc”.
“All [because] the Twitter case had been exposed and more embarrassment would have followed in further [cross-examination] today,” the former minister said, referring to the case against Imaan and Hadi over controversial social media posts.
“Seems they (police) used violence on Imaan and Hadi also,” Mazari alleged in another post.
‘Illegal and unconstitutional move’
The ex-minister shared a video message of IHCBA President Gilani, who was with Imaan at the time of the arrest.
“We spoke to the authorities yesterday and other institutions, and they made a commitment that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha will not be arrested and will be given safe passage to go to the district court,” said the bar president in a video posted on X.
He said that, fearing arrest, the lawyers went to IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar and “informed him that there was a possibility we would be stopped; however, the chief justice did not hold court today.”
Gilani said Imaan and Hadi, along with their lawyers, were on their way to the sessions court when their vehicles came “under attack by police” as soon as they passed by Serena Chowk.
The IHCBA president claimed that the police subjected the lawyers to violence and broke the vehicles’ windows, forcing Imaan and Hadi out of the car.
He further said that male personnel grabbed Imaan and pushed her into the police vehicle.
Gilani also alleged that the police officials “pushed down [IHCBA] Secretary Jajja and beat him”.
He called on the lawyers of both the IHC and the sessions court to reach the Sitara Market Women’s Police Station — where he said Imaan was being held — and observe a strike.
“The authorities should stop this oppression. If they do not, then the 2007 lawyers’ movement will be launched again,” Gilani asserted.
Calling it a “very major incident for Islamabad”, Gilani emphasised that lawyers “guard the country’s integrity and law”.
The IHCBA, the Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) and the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) issued separate statements condemning the arrest of the lawyer couple.
The IHCBA and IBA announced a strike for Friday, while the IBC called on lawyers to observe a strike on Saturday.
The IBA added that it held an emergency meeting in light of the “illegal and unconstitutional move” to arrest the duo. The body called on authorities to “immediately release” the arrested lawyers.
“The Islamabad Bar Association believes that every Pakistani has the right to defend themselves in the court,” the statement read, terming the arrest a “violation of fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution and law”.
The IBC condemned the “highly reprehensible conduct, including misbehaviour, assault and torture, perpetrated by the police officials” against Gilani and Jajja during the incident.
It considered such actions “to be a blatant misuse of authority, aimed at harassing advocates and creating an atmosphere of fear and coercion within the legal community”.
The IBC demanded Imaan and Hadi’s unconditional release, a transparent and independent inquiry into the conduct of police officials involved, and “strict disciplinary action against all those responsible for the misbehaviour, high-handedness and use of force”.
Cases against the duo
The main case against Imaan and Hadi, which pertains to a controversial social media post, stems from a complaint filed on Aug 12, 2025, at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Islamabad.
They were indicted in the case on October 30 last year.
ADSJ Majoka had issued arrest warrants for the couple on January 16, a day after cancelling their interim bail following repeated non-appearances.
Subsequently, Imaan and Hadi challenged their arrest orders before the IHC.
The NCCIA complaint accused Mazari of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations”, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts.
The FIR of the case alleged that the two held security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
It also stated that they had portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against proscribed groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Earlier this week, a case dating back to July 2025 emerged against the duo, about a protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). The IHC has granted them pre-arrest bail in the case.
Separately, on Thursday, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra dismissed Imaan and Hadi’s pre-arrest bail applications in a case over a scuffle outside the IHC in September 2025.
Additional input from Tahir Naseer
