Lawyers strike in protest against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha’s arrests halt all trials, Islamabad High Court PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Islamabad’s lawyers began a three-day strike on Monday following the arrest and sentencing of lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, with boycotts halting trials across the capital.
Islamabad High Court Bar Association secretary Manzoor Jajja confirmed that lawyers had been asked not to appear before the courts. “Today lawyers staged a strike in Islamabad High Court. Lawyers did not appear in court as requested,” he said.
Jajja said lawyers must remain united against what he described as police repression and announced that they would proceed to the district courts in a convoy to formally register their protest. A rally later moved from the Deputy Commissioner’s office to the adjacent SSP office where lawyers shouted anti-police slogans.
The Islamabad Bar also banned the police from entering the court premises. Lawyers removed police personnel who had been posted in the court canteen. Earlier in the day, a separate demonstration was held outside the Sessions Judge East court, where additional police were deployed to maintain order.
The strike also came up during a civil case at the Islamabad High Court. Advocate Qaiser Abbas Gondal, appearing for one of the parties, informed the court that the strike was observed in response to the detention of lawyers. He said the legal secretary was also supposed to appear in the case but did not attend because of the strike.
Read: Lawyers Imaan, Hadi sent in 14 days custody by Islamabad ATC after arrest
Seeking details of the arrests, IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar asked, “Which lawyers have been arrested?” Gondal replied that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha had been detained.
The Chief Justice then asked, “Do you consider them lawyers?” Gondal did not answer. “If you consider them as lawyers, you can come to the courtroom and express your opinion,” the chief justice added.
Due to the strike, no progress was made in the scheduled court hearings.
Mazari and Chattha were arrested on Friday in Islamabad while they were reportedly on their way to the district courts. An anti-terror court later sent them to 14 days in custody.
The next day, a district court convicted the pair in a case related to controversial social media posts and sentenced them to 17 years in prison.
The case centers on alleged posts and reposts on X, formerly Twitter, which authorities described as “anti-state”. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency registered the case last August under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, claiming the content was aimed at inciting divisions and portraying government institutions negatively.
Read more: ‘Grave miscarriage of justice’: Civil society criticizes Imaan, Hadi verdicts in case on social media
The couple appeared in court via video link. Mazari alleged abuse in custody and announced a boycott of the case.
According to the verdict, both were sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and fines of Rs 5 million each under Peca Section 9, with one year’s simple imprisonment in default. Under Section 10, they received 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs30 million each, with two years’ simple imprisonment in case of default. Under Section 26A, they were sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and fines of Rs 1 million each, with six months’ simple imprisonment in default.
Political parties, parliamentarians and members of the legal community have condemned the convictions and sentences.
