Imaan Mazari and husband spend second night at IHC bar office amid fears of arrest

ISLAMABAD:

Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, spent a second consecutive night at the office of Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) president Wajid Gilani, fearing arrest as police maintained a heavy presence around the Islamabad High Court.

The couple had been granted pre-arrest bail on Wednesday in a case dating back to July 2025. However, they failed to appear at a separate hearing on Thursday related to a controversial tweeting case.

Mazari told visitors she was ready to surrender. “We don’t want any concessions. We are sitting here to surrender,” she said. “We will go ourselves – just tell us how many cases have been registered against us. »

Islamabad District Bar Association President Naeem Gujar criticized the police deployment around the court, saying police had “sealed the High Court from all four sides” and alleged that lawyers were being searched and harassed.

“The trunks of lawyers’ vehicles are being checked and lawyers are being harassed,” Gujar said, addressing the prime minister, interior minister and army chief. He also asked the authorities to provide a complete list of cases registered against Mazari and Chattha to ensure that legal proceedings follow due process.

Read: IHC Grants Two-Day Protective Bail to Imaan Mazari, Her Husband in New Case

Islamabad Bar Council Executive Committee Chairman Zafar Khokhar echoed similar concerns over the treatment of lawyers. “It feels like there’s the law of the jungle here,” he said. “We demand that if the two men committed a crime, they at least have the right to a fair trial. »

IHCBA president Wajid Gilani warned the law society would take action if the concerns were not addressed. “When someone files for bail, no one has the right to harass them,” he said, emphasizing the need to respect legal rights.

Mazari and Chattha first sought shelter at the Bar President’s office on Tuesday evening after arrest warrants were issued in connection with a recently surfaced FIR at Kohsar police station, Islamabad, dated July 26, 2025.

Learn more: IHC reinstates bail and restores the right of defense of Imaan Mazari, her husband

The FIR was filed following a protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and surfaced soon after the Islamabad High Court reinstated their bail in a separate case under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.

Fearing arrest, the couple spent the night at the bar office, with Gilani assuring them: “Sit in my office. No one will arrest you from here.”

The situation drew criticism from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which called the FIR “fabricated” and expressed concern over what it called continued harassment of the couple.