Roads to Karachi Press Club blocked as protesters demonstrate against Imaan, Hadi conviction

All roads leading to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) were blocked on Monday as traffic in the city centre came to a standstill following a protest against the conviction of lawyer-activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case related to controversial social media posts.

Mazari and Chattha were arrested on Friday in Islamabad while reportedly heading to the district courts. An anti-terrorism court later sent them on a 14-day judicial remand. The following day, a district and sessions court convicted the couple in a case related to controversial social media posts and sentenced them to 17 years in prison.

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

The case centres on alleged posts and reposts on X, which authorities described as “anti-state”. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency registered the case in August last year under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, alleging the content was intended to incite divisions and portray state institutions negatively.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), along with lawyers, journalists and members of civil society, staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club and condemned restrictions on freedom of expression under the PECA Act.

Before the protest began, police blocked roads around the Karachi Press Club by placing containers at multiple locations, including Fawara Chowk, YMCA, Sarwar Shaheed Road and Zainab Market Cut. Buses and containers were stationed on surrounding roads, and a heavy police contingent was deployed in the area.

When an Express Tribune reporter approached police officials present at the scene for comment on the situation around the KPC, they declined to respond.

Due to the road closures, journalists, media workers and employees of nearby offices faced severe difficulties in commuting. Police sealed three sides of the KPC, leaving only a narrow passage open near the YMCA, which caused congestion and inconvenience for journalists, workers and even local residents. 

The protest was led by Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt. Participants included Karachi Press Club President Fazil Jameeli, Saeed Sarbazi, Arif Baloch, Saeed Baloch, Mazhar Abbas, Tahir Hasan Khan, Qazi Khizar, Dr Tauseef Ahmed and others. The Karachi Press Club and the Karachi Union of Journalists formally expressed solidarity with the protesters.

Also Read: Imaan Mazari alleges mistreatment as court hears tweet case via video link

Demonstrators raised slogans demanding the immediate release of Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, declaring the PECA Act a “black law,” and calling for an end to false cases. Other chants condemned what protesters described as a “baton-and-bullet” approach by the authorities and demanded protection of freedom of expression.

Addressing the gathering, Asad Iqbal Butt and other speakers strongly criticised the passage and enforcement of repressive laws by a democratic government. They said the PECA Act had effectively criminalised freedom of expression and was being used to silence dissenting voices. The speakers stated that Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha were punished merely for expressing their views on social media.

The speakers also condemned the police action of blocking roads around the Press Club, terming it an attempt to criminalise a peaceful protest. They said restricting access to the Press Club was shameful and dangerous for democracy, warning that suppressing freedom of expression would ultimately harm the government itself.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, President HRCP Asad Iqbal Butt said the Karachi Press Club is a platform where people raise their voices, but the state appears too afraid to allow peaceful protest.

He added that despite the road closures, people from different communities still managed to reach the venue. “Due to the closure of roads, people across different communities were unable to reach here, but somehow we managed to get here, and it is our success. Despite government road closures, people reached the KPC,” he said.

Butt said such developments were alarming and affected everyone. “We need to raise our voices because this can happen to us as well. We are raising our voices for ourselves,” he said.

Referring to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), he added: “When the PECA law was introduced, it was said that it was for enemies of the country, but we raised our voices and said this law would be used against human rights activists and political workers. Now time has proved us right,” he concluded.

Senior journalist Shahzeb Jillani while talking to The Express Tribune also criticised the convictions, saying the sentencing of Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, had been widely condemned in Pakistan and abroad.

“It is very clear from the manner in which the trial was conducted. It has made a mockery of justice. To give somebody 10 years’ imprisonment over a tweet should not happen,” he said.

He added that cyber laws were increasingly being used to suppress dissent and punish critics of the government. “We have seen cyber laws being used to silence dissent and to punish critics of the government, but this has gone too far. This is not restricted to any political party — this affects every citizen in the country,” he said.

Jillani said the protest had brought together people from different backgrounds. “I believe the protest today brought together all kinds of people. Everyone was peaceful, but it is shameful the way the local administration prevented people from gathering at the KPC. Still, the point has been made,” he concluded.

Earlier, the Karachi Traffic Police said in a post on X around 5pm that vehicular flow was slow on II Chundrigar Road, Shaheen Complex Chowk, Aiwan-e-Sadr Road, Fawara Chowk, Zainab Market and the surrounding areas due to "security" reasons.