“The Bar not only prevented their arrest for two days, but also strongly supported them”
Lawyer duo Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha overlook Islamabad Police stationed outside the office of the President of the Bar at the Islamabad High Court, waiting to arrest the couple PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) on Thursday strongly rejected comments made by Justice Mohsin Aktar Kayani suggesting his involvement in the arrests of lawyers Iman Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha, terming the allegations “baseless”.
“There is no truth in the judicial remarks that the High Court Bar was involved in the arrests of Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha,” said IHCBA Secretary Manzoor Jajja.
He described comments made by a judge, who was previously president of the High Court Bar, regarding the conduct of the Bar as “regrettable”. Jajja said: “A judge who was once the President of the High Court Bar should not make such remarks. »
Jajja is referring to comments by IHC Justice Mohsin Aktar Kayani criticizing Tuesday’s lawyers’ strike. The judge noted that the lawyers themselves facilitated the arrests by taking the defendants to jail and then went on strike in protest.
“How good is our Bar? They deserve a medal. The judges are also incompetent and the courts have become lifeless. The Bar itself has landed the two lawyers in jail. A lawless judge has taken a remarkable decision,” Justice Kayani said.
Jajja defended the operations of the Bar, saying it runs its affairs properly. “Judges should refrain from commenting on Bar matters; that is what Bar Councils are for,” he said.
He also said that lawyers have the pen and the argument; they have no weapons to assert their point of view. He stressed that the Bar operates in accordance with the law and stands firmly with its lawyers.
Regarding the Mazari and Chattha cases, Jajja said, “Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar has scheduled their cases on a priority basis. All the cases brought before the court have been disposed of by the Chief Justice.”
Read: Lawyers begin three-day strike following arrest and conviction of husband Imaan Mazari
He added that the two lawyers remained at the IHCBA office for two days and on the request of the Bar, Justice Azam Khan granted them interim bail and provided relief in the ongoing proceedings before the sessions court. “Later, on the request of the bar association, interim bail was also granted in an older case,” Jajja said.
The secretary said that after the court hours and the departure of the chief justice, a pre-arrest bail matter in an unidentified case could not be resolved. “The Islamabad High Court Bar not only prevented their arrest for two days, but also stood firmly with them,” he added.
Describing the bar association’s response as more than a strike, Jajja said, “The bar association not only observed a strike following their arrest but also put up strong resistance. At the request of the bar association, the district bar association and the Islamabad Bar Council stood with us. For the arrest of the two lawyers, we not only blocked the entry of the police into the court premises but also took out a rally.”
The remarks follow comments by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, who suggested that the bar itself had facilitated the situation. The IHCBA statement makes clear that it rejects any suggestion of complicity and remains committed to upholding the rights and legal protections of attorneys.
Lawyers’ strike
Lawyers in Islamabad began a three-day strike on Monday following the arrest and conviction of Iman Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, disrupting legal proceedings across the capital.
“Today, lawyers staged a strike outside the Islamabad High Court. The lawyers did not appear in court as requested,” confirmed IHCBA Secretary Manzoor Jajja.
He said lawyers must remain united against what he described as police oppression and announced they would travel in convoy to district courts to formally register their protest. A rally then took place from the deputy commissioner’s office to the SSP’s office, with lawyers chanting slogans against the police. The protest ended once they reached the district court complex.
Learn more: Lawyers Imaan and Hadi sent to 14-day remand by Islamabad ATC after arrest
Mazari and Chattha arrests
Mazari and Chattha were arrested in Islamabad on Friday while they were reportedly on their way to the district courts. An anti-terrorism court then remanded them for 14 days.
The couple were reportedly arrested near the underpass outside the Serena Hotel on their way to the district court.
IHCBA President Wajid Gilani said: “We spoke to the authorities and other institutions yesterday, and they assured us that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha would not be arrested and would be given safe passage to the district court. »
The next day, a district and sessions court found the couple guilty in a case related to controversial social media posts, sentencing them to 17 years in prison.
The case concerns alleged posts and reposts on X, formerly Twitter, described by authorities as “anti-state.” The National Cybercrime Investigation Agency had registered the case in August last year under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, alleging that the content was intended to incite divisions and portray a negative image of state institutions.
The couple appeared in court via video link. Mazari alleged mistreatment in detention and boycotted the proceedings.
