January 23, 2026
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
Human rights lawyer and activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, were taken into custody by Islamabad police on Friday after a long and contentious trial. The order for arrest was issued by an Islamabad District and Sessions’ court over the past few months over a case of reposting a ‘controversial post’ on social media X. The two were near the Serena Hotel underpass, while on heading to the district courts when they were arrested. They have both been sent on judicial remand for 14 days, after which they will be made to appear in court on February 6.
Cancellation of pre-arrest bail
The lawyers have been involved an ongoing court battle where they were accused of inciting divisions through social media and creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country.
Opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir, also posted on X.
The arrests of human rights activists @ImaanZHazir & @AdvHadiAli, while going to court for attending hearing, has highlighted the troubling pattern of state overreach and procedural irregularities that undermine the principles of fair trial and due process enshrined in Pakistani…
— Senator Allama Raja Nasir (@AllamaRajaNasir) January 23, 2026
Human rights organization, HRCP also strongly condemned what they said appeared to be an unlawful arrest and manhandling of both the lawyers by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police while they were en route from the Islamabad High Court to the Sessions’ court with the Islamabad High Court Bar president and secretary.
“Arresting lawyers in the presence of the bar leadership and taking them to an undisclosed police station constitutes grave abuse of authority and contempt for due process,” the statement said. “Moreover, the use of successive and fabricated FIRs as a tool to harass, intimidate and ultimately muzzle dissent, in clear violation of constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and due process, must cease. HRCP demands immediate disclosure of their whereabouts and holds the authorities fully responsible for any harm. Ms Mazari-Hazir and Mr Chatha must be released immediately.”
Aurat March Islamabad calls upon all members of civil society, students, lawyers, and every conscious citizen to join us in resistance. We must stand together against this blatant attempt to silence the voices of dissent and legal advocacy.
📢Join us at Isl Press Club at 4:00 PM pic.twitter.com/qmIzzqeSBZ
— Aurat March Islamabad (@Aurat_marchisb) January 23, 2026
On Thursday, Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) dismissed the pre-arrest bail applications that had previously been granted to both the advocates, citing their non-appearance.
Manzoor Ahmed Jajja, the Islamabad High Court Bar Association Secretary, had announced in a press conference that the couple would appear before the trial court in controversial tweets case on Friday (today).
During the ATC hearing however, the advocates did not appear before the court, which resulted in the dismissal of their bail pleas. The case had been registered on the complaint of IHCBA President Syed Wajid Ali Gilani, after a heated exchange outside the High Court Bar Office.
Meanwhile, a separate case was ongoing in the court of the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka, around some controversial tweets case posted by the two lawyers. Again the accused nor their counsel appeared before the court.
The court was informed that the accused were present at the IHC premises and requested the issuance of arrest warrants.
Prosecutor Rana Usman argued that despite clear directions from the High Court, the accused had failed to appear, and therefore their bail should be rejected and warrants issued.
The court had ordered the accused to appear in person at 8:30am and adjourned the hearing till Friday, January 23.
In the days leading up to the arrest, Imaan and Hadi had been staying at the office of Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) President Wajid Ali Gilani, citing fears of being detained. On Thursday, they spent a second consecutive night at the office of the IHC Bar President. A heavy police contingent was deployed around the High Court, with strict checking of vehicles entering and exiting the premises.
Senior lawyer Babar Awan, High Court Bar President Wajid Ali Gilani, Islamabad Bar Council member Aleem Abbasi, and several other lawyers visited the bar office to express solidarity with the two advocates. In a video message, Gilani said authorities had assured him a day earlier that the couple would not be arrested and would be allowed to reach court safely. Despite these assurances, he said police intercepted their vehicles near Serena Chowk and forcibly removed Imaan and Hadi.
Gilani alleged that police personnel manhandled Imaan, pushed her into a police van, and assaulted senior members of the bar, including IHCBA Secretary Manzoor Jajja. He termed the incident “illegal” and “unconstitutional”, warning that such actions threatened the independence of the legal community. He called on lawyers to gather at the Sitara Market Women’s Police Station, where Imaan was reportedly held, and announced a strike. Bar associations across Islamabad — including the IHCBA, Islamabad Bar Association (IBA), and Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) — strongly condemned the arrests.
نہایت شرمناک !!!
ایمان مزاری اور ایک ہٹے کٹے مرد اہلکار نے میری آنکھوں کے سامنے ایک ہاتھ سے نیفے کو پکڑا اور دوسرا ہاتھ گردن پر رکھ کر دبوچتے ہوئے اٹھا کر دوسری گاڑی میں ڈالا اور لے گئے، یہ ہمارے لیے باعثِ شرم ہے، ہمارے ساتھ وعدہ خلافی کی گئی، صدر اسلام آباد ہائیکورٹ بار واجد… pic.twitter.com/XCfU8hJ6R8
— Ehtsham Kiani (@ehtshamkiani) January 23, 2026
“This arrest will make this couple more powerful and more respectable,” said Hamid Mir, senior journalist.
Lawyer Jibran Nasir also posted online, equating the entire trial with persecution.
“The witch-hunt of Advocates Imaan and Hadi proves that there is no tolerance for expressions of solidarity with Baloch voices. Their arrest must be viewed alongside the ongoing incarceration of the BYC leadership,” said Nasir. “It must also be understood within the broader context of political victimisation—most notably the imprisonment and treatment of Imran Khan, using PECA against journalists, the endless incarceration of Ali Wazir, military trials of civilians and violent crackdown on protests whether for PTI leadership, Baloch rights or to show support for Gaza.
None of this can be separated from the connivance, silence, and compliance of the superior judiciary, which has surrendered its public duty for personal comfort and safety. The arrest of Imaan and Hadi, intended to silence dissent, reveals not the strength but the fear of the military establishment. This fear is precisely what drives Generals to grant themselves immunity.
Having robbed elections and lost all legitimacy to govern, the regime’s insecurities compel it to crush dissent with brute force. This is not the conduct of a self-assured state, but of one that constantly deceives itself by enforcing the silence of the oppressed.”
Outrage over arrest
In a tweet on X, some details were given by Imaan’s mother, former federal minister Shireen Mazari, who said that that the couple had been stopped by police, separated, and driven away to undisclosed locations. She alleged that officers did not present any first information report (FIR) at the time of arrest and claimed that bar representatives present were unable to intervene.
In her post on X, Mazari described the arrests as an example of “extreme authoritarianism”, expressing outrage over what she called the “abuse of power”.
Shireen Mazari also shared videos online showing police vehicles following the lawyers’ car and later stopping it. She alleged that police used force during the encounter, including breaking car windows and assaulting bar officials present at the scene.
FREE IMAAN MAZARI AND HADHI ALI CHATTHA!
The forceful arrest of HRDs @ImaanZHazir and @AdvHadiali is a gross violation of human rights. This is an attack on freedom of speech and the peaceful struggle. Both have consistently supported marginalized and oppressed people across… pic.twitter.com/aYifZgcVtB
— Nadia Baloch (@NadiaBaloch99) January 23, 2026
It is utterly shameful how @ImaanZHazir and @AdvHadiali have been arrested in fake case with fabricated charges. Imaan and Hadi have always advocated for the rights of the marginalized. They are being persecuted for their activism. We stand with them. https://t.co/IcqeGv6gbb
— Mohsin Dawar (@mjdawar) January 23, 2026
Strikes and protests announced
The IHCBA and Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) announced a strike for Friday, while the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) called for a strike for Saturday. In separate statements, the bar bodies demanded the immediate release of Imaan and Hadi, describing the arrests as a violation of constitutional rights and an abuse of authority.
The IBC also called for an independent inquiry into the conduct of police officials involved and disciplinary action against those responsible.
Meanwhile feminist activist Tahira Abdullah also condemned the arrest vehemently.
“Strongest possible condemnation and protest at the illegal arrest of Advocates Imaan Mazari Hazir and Adv. Hadi Ali Chatha today,” she said while speaking to Voicepk. “Graphic eyewitness accounts of the LEAs’ brazen use of unwarranted force, physical violence and brutality towards the accused couple – as well as lawyers and journalists accompanying them in the Bar Association’s official van from IHC to D&S court/kachehri – highlights that the entire operation was something other than an ordinary arrest order enforcement,” she said.
She added that the over the past months, the case had been distorted and convoluted beyond recognition.
“It has clearly turned into a witch hunt, and an ulterior motivated vendetta. Due process and fair trial procedures have constantly been flouted. If the establishment’s aim is to frighten off their human rights pro bono legal activism (especially against enforced disappearances), and to intimidate the rest of us human rights defenders into silence – it is way off the mark and has failed signally.”
Meanwhile former PTI federal minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain also criticised the arrest.
“While I find Imaan Mazari’s views on Balochistan to be foolishly misdirected, no individual should face state repression for their opinions,” he said adding that the lawyers’ repeated arrests highlighted “the growing irrelevance of professional legal bodies” and called on lawyers “to reclaim their agency and restore the ‘red line’ around their freedom and dignity”.
Case background
The primary case against the couple originates from a complaint filed last year with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) over a social media post. Prosecutors allege that the content criticised state institutions and security forces, including commentary on enforced disappearances and militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Additional cases involving protests and a confrontation outside the Islamabad High Court have also been registered against the couple. While they have received pre-arrest bail in one matter, a court recently rejected their bail plea in another.