Lawyers Imaan, Hadi presented in Islamabad ATC after arrest; sent on 14-day judicial remand: Shireen
Lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were presented in an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Friday after their earlier arrest and sent on a 14-day judicial remand.
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 just now but lawyers were not allowed in and no one was allowed to see the first information report although 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.
"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 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!
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
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the “unlawful arrest and manhandling” of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, calling for the immediate disclosure of their whereabouts and their release. The HRCP said arresting lawyers in the presence of bar leaders violates 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…
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.
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) 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…
He warned that such actions expose institutional weaknesses and risk aThe 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.