Lawyers’ strike protesting arrests of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha halts all court proceedings, Islamabad High Court PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Lawyers in Islamabad on Monday began a three-day strike following the arrest and sentencing of advocates Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, with boycotts paralyzing court proceedings across the capital.
Islamabad High Court Bar Association Secretary Manzoor Jajja confirmed that the lawyers had been asked not to appear in court. “Today, lawyers went on strike at 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 oppression and announced that 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 adjoining SSP office, where lawyers chanted slogans against the police.
The Islamabad Bar Association also banned police from entering the court premises. The lawyers evicted the police personnel stationed in the court dining room. Earlier in the day, a separate demonstration was held outside the Eastern Sessions Judge’s court, where additional police were deployed to maintain order.
The strike also came to light during a civil case hearing at the Islamabad High Court. Advocate Qaiser Abbas Gondal, appearing for one of the parties, informed the court that the strike was being observed in response to the arrest of the lawyers. He said the secretary of the Bar Association was also scheduled to appear in the case, but did not attend due to the strike.
Read: Lawyers Imaan and Hadi sent to 14-day judicial remand by Islamabad ATC after arrest
IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar sought details about the arrests and 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 respond. “If you consider them lawyers, you can come to the chamber 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 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 next day, a district and sessions court convicted the couple in a case involving 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 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.
Read more: ‘Serious miscarriage of justice’: civil society criticizes the convictions of Imaan and Hadi in a case published on social networks
The couple appeared in court via video link. Mazari denounced ill-treatment in custody and announced a boycott of the process.
According to the verdict, both were sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 million each under Article 9 of Peca, with one year of simple imprisonment in case of non-compliance. Under Article 10, they received a rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of Rs 30 million each, with two years of simple imprisonment in case of non-compliance. Under section 26A, they were sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 million each, with six months of simple imprisonment in case of non-compliance.
Political parties, parliamentarians and members of the legal community have condemned the convictions and sentences.
