ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has placed prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, advocate Haadi Ali Chatha, on judicial remand in a case involving a “security breach.”
A two-member IHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, heard the appeal challenging the couple’s physical remand, with lawyers Qaiser Imam and Zainab Janjua representing Mazari and Chatha.
During the hearing, the prosecutor presented the remand request and read out the court order. IHC’s Chief Justice asked the prosecutor if the remand was appropriate, to which the law officer confirmed it was. The bench then issued a short order, nullifying the prior physical remand and ordering the defendants to be sent to jail under judicial remand.
Earlier, the IHC had suspended a three-day remand order issued by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) that had initially sent the couple to jail.
Mazari and Chatha were taken into custody in Islamabad after reportedly attempting to remove road blockades set up for the traffic protocol of the visiting England cricket team last week.
The FIR filed against them includes charges under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) — including Section 186 (obstructing public servant), Section 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), Section 149 (participation in unlawful assembly), and Section 353 (assault on a public servant).
It also includes Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), related to acts of terrorism. Additional PPC sections include Section 506(ii) (criminal intimidation) and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), as per the complaint lodged by Sub-Inspector Tanveer Athar.
The FIR alleges that Mazari attempted to remove barriers on Faisal Avenue, intended to secure the route for state guests, which led to a confrontation with the authorities. It claims that she incited others to remove the barriers, with her husband Chatha later arriving at the scene, issuing threats, and reportedly slapping a police officer.
