‘The Bar Association not only prevented their arrest for two days but also strongly supported them’
Lawyer duo Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha watch Islamabad police stationed outside the Islamabad Bar High Court president’s office 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, calling the allegations “baseless”.
“There is no truth in the judicial statements that the High Court Bar Association was involved in the arrests of Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha,” IHCBA secretary Manzoor Jajja said.
He described comments made by a judge, who previously served as president of the High Court Bar, about the conduct of the Bar as “regrettable”. Jajja said: “A judge who was once president of the High Court Bar should not make such comments.”
Jajja is referring to comments made by IHC judge Mohsin Aktar Kayani criticizing Tuesday’s lawyers’ strike. The judge noted that the lawyers themselves had 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 put both lawyers in jail. A lawless judge has taken a remarkable decision,” Justice Kayani said.
Jajja defended the Bar Association’s operations and said it manages its affairs properly. “Judges should refrain from commenting on Bar matters; that’s what Bar Councils are for,” he said.
He also said that lawyers have the pen and the argument; They have no weapons to make their point. He stressed that the Bar Association operates in accordance with the law and firmly supports its lawyers.
Regarding Mazari and Chattha’s cases, Jajja said: “Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar scheduled their cases on a priority basis. All cases that came before the court were fixed by the chief justice.”
Read: Lawyers begin three-day strike over arrest and sentencing of Imaan Mazari and her husband
He added that the two lawyers remained in the IHCBA office for two days and on the request of the Bar Council, Justice Azam Khan granted them interim bail and provided them relief in the ongoing proceedings in the Sessions Court. “Later, on the request of the Bar, interim bail was also granted in an earlier case,” Jajja said.
The clerk said that after court hours and the departure of the chief justice, a pre-arrest bail case in an unnamed matter could not be settled. “The Islamabad Bar High Court not only prevented their arrest for two days but also strongly supported them,” he added.
Describing the Bar Association’s response as more than just a strike, Jajja said, “The Bar Association not only observed a strike over their arrest but also offered strong resistance. At the request of the Bar Association, the District Bar Association and the Islamabad Bar Council stood shoulder to shoulder with us. For the arrest of both the lawyers, we not only blocked the police from entering the court premises but also organized a demonstration.”
These comments come in response to comments by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, who suggested that the Bar Council itself facilitated the situation. The IHCBA’s statement makes clear that it rejects any suggestion of complicity and remains committed to upholding the legal rights and protections of attorneys.
lawyers strike
Lawyers in Islamabad on Monday began a three-day strike following the arrest and sentencing of Iman Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, paralyzing court proceedings across the capital.
“Today, lawyers staged a strike at 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 head to the district courts in a convoy to formally register their protest. Later, a demonstration moved from the deputy commissioner’s office to the SSP office, with lawyers chanting slogans against the police. The protest ended upon reaching the District Judicial Complex.
Read more: Lawyers Imaan and Hadi sent to 14-day judicial remand by Islamabad ATC after arrest
Mazari and Chattha arrests
Mazari and Chattha were arrested on Friday in Islamabad when they were reportedly on their way to the district courts. An anti-terrorism court subsequently remanded them to judicial remand for 14 days.
The couple was reportedly detained near the underpass in front of the Serena Hotel as they were on their way to the district court.
IHCBA president Wajid Gilani said: “Yesterday we spoke to the authorities and other institutions, and they assured us that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha would not be arrested and would be provided safe passage to the district court.”
The next day, a district and sessions court convicted the couple in a case involving 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 Cyber Crime Investigation Agency had registered the case in August last year under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, alleging that the content was aimed at inciting divisions and negatively portraying state institutions.
The couple appeared in court via video link. Mazari reported mistreatment in custody and boycotted the process.
