Imaan, Hadi arrested, whereabouts undisclosed: Shireen Mazari

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

Islamabad police arrested human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and advocate Hadi Ali Chattha on Friday, near the underpass outside Serena Hotel in Islamabad, while they were going to the district court.

On her X account, Mazari tweeted that Imaan and Hadi “have been arrested and put in separate cars and taken away to unknown locations”.

“Fascism at its peak. Emasculated men in power must be so pleased with this achievement!” Mazari added.

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

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

Meanwhile, 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 Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) and the Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) on Friday 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.

Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafari, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, condemned the arrest of human rights activists Imaan Mazari and Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, calling it 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 expose institutional weaknesses and risk 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,” he said, urging the state to stop silencing dissent and human rights advocates.

The IHC on Wednesday granted two-day protective bail to human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, in a newly surfaced case dating back to July 2025, barring their arrest during this period.

Justice Azam Khan from IHC 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 FIR, forcing the couple to spend two nights at the Islamabad High Court Bar president’s office amid a heavy police presence outside the premises.

Read more: FIR registered over lawyers' protest, scuffle at IHC

In a separate case on Thursday, an Islamabad anti-terrorism court 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, 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.