Imaan, Chattha sent to jail

ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday sent human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, to jail after rejecting the police request for physical remand in a case registered against them under terrorism charges.

Police have arrested the couple on their way to district courts for appearing before Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Mohammad Afzal Majoka in controversial tweet case after spending two consecutive days in Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) president office to evade arrest. Police arrest the couple near Serena Chowk underpass in case registered after a scuffle outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in Secretariat Police Station.

ATC had rejected the pre-arrest bail application of Imaan and her husband on January 22.Police produced the accused before ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, seeking a seven-day physical remand for investigation and recovery.

However, after reviewing the case record, the court ruled that physical remand was not warranted and instead sent both accused to judicial custody for 14 days. The court ordered that they be produced again on February 6.

Following the court’s decision, former federal minister and Imaan Mazari’s mother, Shireen Mazari, alleged in a post on X-platform (formerly Twitter) that the couple was “covertly produced” before the ATC and that lawyers were not allowed to attend the proceedings.

She further claimed that despite the judge’s direction, the FIR had not been provided to the defence, and it was unclear which jail the couple had been sent to.

Earlier, Shireen Mazari had confirmed the arrest, stating that her daughter and son-in-law were taken away in separate vehicles to undisclosed locations without being shown the FIR. She criticized the arrest as a violation of due process, calling it “fascism at its peak” Mazari added in a post on X.

During the hearing at the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC), police personnel reportedly barred lawyers, media and members of the public from entering the premises.

IHCBA President Wajid Ali Gilani, in a video message after the arrest, said that “we spoke to the concerned authorities Thursday and other institutions, and they made a commitment that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha will not be arrested.” They committed that the couple would be given safe passage to go to the district court,” he said in his message.

Gilani said that, fearing arrest, the lawyers went to Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar court and informed him that there was a possibility we would be stopped; but unfortunately, the chief justice did not hold court today.

Gilani said Imaan and Hadi, along with their lawyers, were on their way to the court when their vehicles came under attack by police as soon as they passed by Serena Chowk.

He 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.

Condemning the arrest, the IHCBA, the Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) and the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) issued separate statements against 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 in its statement says that it strongly condemns the unlawful arrest of the couple by the city police, as well as the highly reprehensible conduct, including misbehaviour, assault, and torture, perpetrated by police officials against Syed Wajid Ali Shah IHCBA president Gillani and secretary IHCBA Manzoor Ahmed Jajja, during the said incident.

The council expresses its grave concern over the manner in which the arrests were effected, in complete disregard of due process of law, the dignity of members of the legal profession, and the sanctity attached to bar associations as independent institutions, it says adding that the reported manhandling, intimidation, and disrespect shown to the office bearers of the IHCBA is not only unacceptable but amounts to a direct assault on the independence of the bar and the rule of law.

The case was registered on a complaint filed by Syed Wajid Gilani.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026