Lawyers Imaan, Hadi sent on 14-day judicial remand by Islamabad ATC after arrest

Former federal minister, IHC bar say police broke car windows, took human rights lawyer duo in separate cars

Human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were sent on a 14-day judicial remand by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Friday after their earlier arrest.

The Islamabad Police had arrested the couple near the underpass outside Serena Hotel while they were on their way to the district session court.

Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari said in a post on X that the two were "covertly presented" in the ATC but lawyers were not allowed in and no one was allowed to see the first information report although the judge had ordered it be given to their lawyers. "But they are being denied. Also no idea to which jail they will be taken," Imaan's mother said.

The attached order from Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain said the investigating officer had requested seven days physical remand for the investigation and recovery of material in a case dated February 10, 2025, at the Secretariat Police Station.

"Perusal of record depicts that physical remand doesn't appear warranted in instant case, therefore both accused persons are hereby sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Accused person be again produced before the court" on February 6.

The judge also ordered that a report under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code be submitted to the court before the next date.

So @ImaanZHazir & @AdvHadiali were covertly presented in ATC just now but lawyers were not allowed in & no one has been allowed to see this FIR altho judge has ordered it be given to their lawyers. But they are being denied. Also no idea 2 which jail they will be taken. pic.twitter.com/1e7N2SjaK9

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 23, 2026

Shireen shared an alleged copy of the first information report (FIR) against the two, that was registerd under Sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 395 (punishment for dacoity), 440 (mischief committed after preparation for causing death or hurt) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 8 (conditions for assembly) of the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act and Sections 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) and 11X (responsibility for creating civil commotion) of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The case concerned a protest by lawyers against a session of the Judical Commission of Pakistan on Feb 10 last year. The FIR said the lawyers had aired anti-judiciary speeches and clashed with police personnel.

The FIR - seriously they can't even lie with any credibility. pic.twitter.com/VL6LvuNjeP

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 23, 2026

However, she subsequently said: "Just learnt they were never even presented before the judge — kept in vehicle and taken away in same vehicle so one could see what state they are in after violence was done on them during arrest and maybe after arrest too."

Shireen said that she had "no idea" where the couple was taken or their condition "after the violence perpetrated on them during arrest and possibly after arrest also".

I have no idea where my daughter & her husband have been taken or what state they are in after the violence perpetrated on them during arrest & possibly after arrest also. Our lawyers had taken water & some dry fruit 4 them & medicine 4 imaan but were denied access. Enforced…

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 23, 2026

She earlier termed the arrests “fascism at its peak”, adding that the duo had been “put in separate cars and taken away to unknown locations”.

Imaan @ImaanZHazir and Hadi @AdvHadiali have been arrested and put in separate cars and taken away to unknown locations - no fir shown and bar sadly could do nothing. Fascism at its peak. Emasculated men in power must be so pleased with this achievement!

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 23, 2026

She further wrote on X, "The police used violence on the bar leaders incl breaking the windows of the car etc. All bec the Twitter case had been exposed & more embarrassment would have followed in further cross today. Esp as it seems the tech off being cross-examined, has suddenly resigned from his job".

The police used violence on the bar leaders incl breaking the windows of the car etc. All bec the twitter case had been exposed & more embarrassment would have followed in further cross today. Esp as it seems the tech off being cross exam has suddenly resigned from his job! https://t.co/SKl1QfcZs2

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 23, 2026

Former Senator and lawyer Mustafa Nawaz Khokar also condemned the arrest. Taking to X, he said "inclusion of terrorism offences for a peaceful protest ridicules and trivialises the anti-terrorism law". He added that the law is meant to prosecute terrorists, not lawyers or ordinary citizens.

Iman & Hadi apparently have been arrested in the FIR below. What’s shocking about the FIR is that it was registered one year ago & kept hidden since. In this fabricated FIR lawyers from across Pakistan (Lahore, Karachi & Islamabad) including myself have been nominated. What a… pic.twitter.com/rKqVbaP6sd

— Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar (@mustafa_nawazk) January 23, 2026

Journalists present at the scene alleged that police personnel forcibly seized mobile phones from reporters covering the incident.

Journalist Asad Ali Toor told The Express Tribune that he witnessed the arrest firsthand, describing, “They arrested Imaan, manhandled her, and severely beat Hadi before taking both into custody.”

He added that the president and secretary of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) were also manhandled.

“Men in police uniform and plain clothes were shouting and abusing, and male officers physically restrained Imaan during the arrest. They not only restrained her but also grabbed her by the neck and her trousers, dragging her away.”

Islamabad High Court (IHC) Bar President Wajid Gilani accused the police of using excessive force during the arrest.

Gilani said, “We spoke to the authorities yesterday and to other institutions, and they gave us assurance that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha would not be arrested and would be provided safe passage to the district court”.

So much for any due process. Seems they used violence on Imaan & Hadi also. pic.twitter.com/e0DjaW3WCJ

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 23, 2026

He added that, due to fears of arrest, the lawyer couple approached IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar and “informed him that there is a possibility that [they] will be stopped; however, the chief justice did not hold court today”.

“They assaulted us, broke the windows of our vehicle, and then arrested Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha,” Gilani said, adding that even the bar secretary was subjected to violence.

Read: IHC restores bail, reinstates right of defence of Imaan Mazari, husband

Both the IHCBA and the Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) issued separate statements condemning the arrest of the lawyer couple and announced a strike today. The IBA said it convened an emergency meeting in response to what it termed an “illegal and unconstitutional” arrest, and urged the authorities to immediately release both.

According to the statement issued by the authority, “The IBA believes that every Pakistani has the right to defend themselves in court”. The arrests amounted to a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution and law, it further said.

Separately, the IHCBA demanded strict action against those responsible for the arrests, warning that such incidents undermine the rule of law and threaten the independence and security of legal professionals. The association said lawyers across Islamabad would remain united in their struggle for justice and the protection of their rights.

A press release from eight members of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) said they were "absolutely clear this brave couple are being punished solely for the sins of professionally representing victims of state oppression and speaking out against ongoing human rights abuses in Pakistan in order to set an example for others".

"When fresh and backdated FIRs are conjured out of thin air on completely frivolous allegations to justify arrest, when lawyers are forced to take refuge in bar offices and forcibly abducted by masked officials on public roads; it is evident that the state has abandoned even any pretence to observe the rule of law. Meanwhile, our judiciary oscillates between complicity and silent acquiescence," they said.

The eight members added that in these circumstances, "it would be a crime for our bar associations and bar councils to stay silent while members of the legal fraternity are made targets of state repression and their fundamental rights are blatantly infringed".

They called upon the PBC, the Supreme Court Bar Association and all other lawyers bodies to perform their duty and unequivocally condemn "this malicious persecution" of human-rights defenders and to "vigorously protest and stand in solidarity" with Imaan and Hadi before all forums.

Morever, the Sindh High Court Bar Association and the Sindh Bar Council also issued their condemnations. 

Sindh High Court Bar & Sindh Bar Council also issue their condemnations of @ImaanZHazir and Hadi Chattha’s arrests. pic.twitter.com/1afwzQDnD7

— Salahuddin Ahmed (@SalAhmedPK) January 23, 2026

Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Chairman and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas condemned the arrests, calling the development a troubling example of state overreach and procedural irregularities.

“These arrests, carried out while they were on their way to court to attend a hearing, undermine the principles of fair trial and due process enshrined in Pakistani law and international conventions,” he said.

The arrests of human rights activists @ImaanZHazir & @AdvHadiAli, while going to court for attending hearing, has highlighted the troubling pattern of state overreach and procedural irregularities that undermine the principles of fair trial and due process enshrined in Pakistani…

— Senator Allama Raja Nasir (@AllamaRajaNasir) January 23, 2026

He warned that such actions exposed institutional weaknesses and risked a broader judicial breakdown by eroding public trust in the rule of law. He demanded that authorities respect the judicial process and ensure justice for all.

“Imaan and Hadi should be immediately presented before a court for bail and allowed to defend themselves in their ongoing trial,” the Senate opposition leader said, urging the state to stop silencing dissent and human rights advocates.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also condemned the “unlawful arrest and manhandling” of the couple, calling for the immediate disclosure of their whereabouts and their release. The HRCP said arresting lawyers in the presence of bar leaders violated due process and freedom of expression.

HRCP strongly condemns what appears to be the unlawful arrest and reported manhandling of lawyers @ImaanZHazir and @AdvHadiali by the Islamabad Capital Territory police while they were en route from the Islamabad High Court to the sessions court with the Islamabad High Court Bar…

— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) January 23, 2026

The International Commission of Jurists similarly condemned the arrest, noting that it "appears to be an act of reprisal against their legitimate legal work". The ICJ called for their immediate release and an "end to their judicial persecution".

🇵🇰 #Pakistan: The @ICJ_Asia strongly condemns the arrest of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir (@ImaanZHazir) and Hadi Chattha (@AdvHadiali), which appears to be an act of reprisal against their legitimate legal work. The ICJ calls for their immediate release and an end to… pic.twitter.com/VA3EdHwQ2d

— ICJ - Asia and the Pacific (@ICJ_Asia) January 23, 2026

Amnesty International said the arrest was the "latest escalation in a sustained campaign of judicial harassment and intimidation by the Pakistani authorities".

Amnesty said it was alarmed by the manner of the arrest, lack of adherence to due process and by the "authorities’ continued pursuit of spurious and retaliatory cases aimed solely at silencing Imaan and Hadi for their human rights work and dissent.

This familiar playbook of harassment and intimidation must end. Amnesty International calls on the Pakistani authorities to immediately release Imaan Mazari‑Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha and drop all charges targeting them solely for their work defending human rights."

PAKISTAN: Today’s arrest of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali is the latest escalation in a sustained campaign of judicial harassment and intimidation by the Pakistani authorities.

Imaan and Hadi were arrested today while on their way to a court hearing and… https://t.co/5OHCuo9qZQ

— Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office (@amnestysasia) January 23, 2026

The IHC had granted two-day protective bail to the husband-wife duo on Wednesday in a newly surfaced case dating back to July 2025, barring their arrest during this period.

Justice Azam Khan had directed the couple to approach the relevant trial court within two days and ordered them to submit bail bonds of Rs100,000 each.

The relief came after arrest warrants were issued in connection with the fresh first information report, forcing the couple to spend two nights at the Islamabad High Court Bar president’s office amid a heavy police presence outside the premises.

#Pakistan: Concerning news that prominent human rights lawyers @ImaanZHazir and Hadi Ali Chattha have reportedly been arrested and jailed by an anti-terrorism court. The couple has already faced multiple prosecutions apparently based on their exercise of rights guaranteed by… https://t.co/K5cq53aWM9

— Margaret Satterthwaite (@SRjudgeslawyers) January 23, 2026

UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, also took to X to highlight the issue, saying "The couple has already faced multiple prosecutions apparently based on their exercise of rights guaranteed by international law. Lawyers, like other individuals, are entitled to freedom of expression and association; this should not be conflated with criminal conduct, and particularly not terrorism."

In a separate case on Thursday, an Islamabad ATC had rejected the couple’s applications for pre-arrest bail in connection with the high court altercation case. The couple did not appear before the ATC for the hearing, as they were residing inside the IHC premises at the time.

The case relates to a scuffle that broke out during a protest outside the IHC. On September 20, 2025, Mazari was among 150–200 lawyers booked under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and other provisions. The case was registered at the Secretariat Police Station on the complaint of IHC Bar Association President Syed Wajid Gilani.