Lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha arrested by police in Islamabad

Activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, were arrested on Friday in Islamabad while they were reportedly en route to the district courts.

Former minister and Imaan’s mother, Shireen Mazari, confirmed in a series of posts on X that her daughter had been arrested by police personnel, saying that she and her husband “have been arrested, put in separate cars, and taken away to unknown locations.”

The former lawmaker claimed that no first information report (FIR) was shown by the police and the bar association “sadly could do nothing”.

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

Imaan and Hadi were scheduled to appear in a trial court today in the controversial tweets case, after failing to appear yesterday despite repeated summons.

The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka had issued arrest warrants for the couple on January 16.

The former lawmaker also shared videos showing police vehicles trailing the lawyers’ car, with officers stopping the vehicle and opening its doors.

In a separate post, Mazari claimed the police “used violence on the bar leaders, [including] breaking the windows of the car, etc”.

“All [because] the Twitter case had been exposed and more embarrassment would have followed in further [cross-examination] today,” the former minister said, referring to the case against Imaan and Hadi over controversial social media posts.

“Seems they (police) used violence on Imaan and Hadi also,” Mazari alleged in another post.

‘Illegal and unconstitutional move’

The ex-minister shared a video message of Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) President Wajid Ali Gilani, who was with Imaan at the time of the arrest.

“We spoke to the authorities yesterday and other institutions, and they made a commitment that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha will not be arrested and will be given safe passage to go to the district court,” said the bar president in a video posted on X.

He said that, fearing arrest, the lawyers went to IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar and “informed him that there was a possibility we would be stopped; however, the chief justice did not hold court today.”

Gilani said Imaan and Hadi, along with their lawyers, were on their way to the sessions 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.

Gilani also alleged that the police officials “pushed down [IHCBA] Secretary Manzoor Jajja and beat him”.

Gillani called on the lawyers of both the IHC and the sessions court to reach the Sitara Market Women’s Police Station — where he said Imaan was being held — and observe a strike.

He further said that “male personnel grabbed the honourable woman” and pushed her into the police vehicle, apparently referring to Imaan.

“The authorities should stop this oppression. If they do not, then the 2007 lawyers’ movement will be launched again,” Gilani asserted.

Calling it a “very major incident for Islamabad”, Gilani emphasised that lawyers “guard the country’s integrity and law”.

Both the IHCBA and the Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) issued separate statements condemning the arrest of the lawyer couple and announcing a complete strike on Friday.

The IBA said that it held an emergency meeting in light of the “illegal and unconstitutional move” to arrest the duo. The body called on authorities to “immediately release” the arrested lawyers.

“The Islamabad Bar Association believes that every Pakistani has the right to defend themselves in the court,” the statement read, terming the arrest a “violation of fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution and law”.