The Bar not only prevented their arrest for two days but also stood firm with them”
Lawyer duo Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha overlooking Islamabad Police stationed outside the Islamabad High Court Bar President’s office waiting to arrest the couple PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) on Thursday strongly rejected remarks by Justice Mohsin Aktar Kayani suggesting its involvement in the arrests of lawyers Iman Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha, calling the allegations “baseless”.
“There is no truth in the legal 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 by a judge who previously served as president of the High Court Bar regarding the lawyer’s conduct as “deplorable”. Jajja said, “A judge who was once president of the High Court Bar should not make such remarks.”
Jajja refers to comments by IHC judge Mohsin Aktar Kayani criticizing the lawyers’ strike on Tuesday. The judge noted that the lawyers themselves had facilitated the arrests by taking the accused to jail and then went on strike in protest.
“How good is our legal profession? They deserve a medal. Judges are also incompetent and courts have become lifeless. The lawyer himself sent both lawyers to jail. A judge without law has taken a remarkable decision,” Justice Kayani said.
Jajja defended the Advocate’s activities, saying it is managing its affairs properly. “Judges should refrain from commenting on bar cases; that’s what Bar Councils are for,” he said.
He also said that lawyers have the pen and the argument; they don’t have weapons to make their point. He emphasized that the Bar operates according to the law and stands firm with its lawyers.
Regarding the Mazari and Chattha cases, Jajja said, “Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar scheduled their cases on a priority basis. All the cases that came before the court were disposed of by the Chief Justice.”
Read: Lawyers begin three-day strike following arrest and sentencing of Imaan Mazari, spouse
He added that the two lawyers remained at the IHCBA office for two days and on the lawyer’s request, Justice Azam Khan granted them interim bail and granted relief in ongoing Sessions court proceedings. “Later, on the lawyer’s request, interim bail was also granted in an older case,” Jajja said.
The secretary said a pre-arrest bail case in an unidentified matter could not be resolved after the court time and the chief justice’s departure. “The Islamabad High Court Bar not only prevented their arrest for two days but also stood firm with them,” he added.
Describing the lawyer’s response as more than a strike, Jajja said: “The lawyer not only observed a strike on their arrest but also offered strong resistance. At the lawyer’s request, the District Attorney and the Islamabad Bar Council stood shoulder to shoulder with us. For the arrest of both lawyers, we not only blocked the police from entering the court premises but also organized a lawyer.”
These remarks come in response to comments made by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, who had suggested that the lawyer himself ease the situation. The IHCBA’s statement makes clear that it rejects any suggestion of complicity and remains committed to upholding lawyers’ rights and legal protections.
Lawyers’ strike
Islamabad’s lawyers began a three-day strike on Monday following the arrest and sentencing of Iman Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, halting trials across the capital.
“Today lawyers staged a strike in Islamabad High Court. Lawyers did not appear in court as requested,” IHCBA secretary Manzoor Jajja confirmed.
He 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 SSP office, with lawyers shouting anti-police slogans. The protest ended by reaching the district court complex.
Read more: Lawyers Imaan, Hadi sent in 14-day custody by Islamabad ATC after arrest
Mazari and Chattha’s arrests
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 couple were reportedly taken into custody near the underpass outside the Serena Hotel on their way to the district court.
IHCBA president Wajid Gilani said: “We spoke to the authorities yesterday and to other institutions and they gave us assurance that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha would not be arrested and would be given safe passage to the district court.”
The following 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 concerns alleged posts and reposts on X, formerly Twitter, described by authorities as “anti-government”. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency had registered the case in August last year under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (PECA) 2016, alleging that the content was aimed at inciting divisions and portraying government institutions negatively.
The couple appeared in court via video link. Mazari alleged abuse in custody and boycotted the case.
