An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Tuesday granted bail to human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case accusing them of blocking a road outside the National Press Club and clashing with police. ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain accepted their bail applications after hearing arguments and reviewing the case file.
Bail terms and the court hearing
Police produced the case record during the proceedings. Defence counsel Riasat Ali Azad told the court that the record had only been received that day. The judge said he would have held the police to account if the file had not been produced on Tuesday, then asked the applicants whether they wished to speak before announcing that bail had been allowed. Both were released on surety bonds of Rs5,000 each.
Sentences handed down last week
Last week, an ATC sentenced Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to 10 years in prison each in a separate security-breach case. The court also gave each a one-year term and a fine of Rs50,000 under Section 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with obstructing a public servant. They received two years each under Section 353, which covers assault or criminal force meant to stop a public servant from doing their duty.
Earlier custody and Supreme Court order
The couple has been in jail since 23 January in a separate matter linked to a protest outside the Islamabad High Court and an alleged confrontation with the IHC Bar Association president. That arrest drew criticism from human rights groups, politicians and journalists, who underlined the need for a fair trial. A day after the January case developments described above, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years on multiple charges.
On 17 September, after months of litigation, the Supreme Court suspended their sentences and ordered their release. The relief lasted only hours: Islamabad police arrested them again that day in connection with the security breach case now before the ATC.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 23 January: The couple have been in jail since this date in the Islamabad High Court protest-related case.
- Day after that custody track: A sessions court sentenced them to 17 years on multiple charges.
- 17 September: The Supreme Court suspended their sentences and ordered release; Islamabad police re-arrested them hours later in the security breach case.
- Last week: An ATC sentenced each to 10 years in the security breach case, plus further PPC terms and fines.
- Tuesday: Judge Zulqarnain granted bail on Rs5,000 surety each after the case record was produced.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Islamabad ki ATC ne Imaan Mazari aur un ke shohar Hadi ko security breach case mein zamaanat de di hai. Dono Rs5,000 ki zamaanat par chhoot sakte hain. Pichhle haftay inhein isi case mein 10 saal ki saza ho chuki thi. Ab woh jail se bahar reh kar case lad sakte hain jab tak agla faisla aata hai.
