January 27, 2026
By Shaukat Korai
KARACHI
In an unprecedented move, authorities stopped a protest rally in the city on Monday by blocking all access routes to the Karachi Press Club, preventing civil society members, lawyers, journalists, and human rights activists from demonstrating against the sentencing of human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and activist Hadi Ali Chatha under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.
Police placed shipping containers and vehicles on all roads leading to the Press Club, completely sealing off the area. The closure of roads slowed down the movement of traffic on several arteries in the downtown area, causing inconvenience for commuters from I.I. Chundrigar Road to Saddar and beyond.
Protesters who were stopped by police began their demonstration at the very spots where they were blocked, refusing to be silenced despite the heavy-handed security measures.
Token protest at press club
A small group of demonstrators who managed to reach the Press Club did stage a token demonstration to register their protest. These included academic Tauseef Ahmed Khan, journalists Mazhar Abbas and Fazil Jamili, Tahir Hassan Khan and Saeed Sarbazi, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s Asad Iqbal Butt, among others.
Participants demanded that the sentences handed to Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha be declared null and void.
Zulfikar Bhutto Jr. stages sit-in
Political leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr. was stopped near Zaibunnisa Street on the internal route leading to the Press Club. In response, he staged a sit-in right on the road. Artist and activist Sheema Kermani and other workers later joined his protest.
Speaking at the sit-in, Zulfikar Jr said, “I was also told that I cannot walk on the footpath and cannot even go to the club to have tea with journalists. This is like saying that theft is legal in this country and walking is illegal. We are being deprived of fundamental human rights. I want to participate in the protest, but participation in the protest has become a crime. We do not accept such a system; rather, we want to overthrow this system that sentences someone to 17 years for a single tweet.”
Later, senior lawyer Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, rights activist Jibran Nasir and several other lawyers, human rights activists and civil society members also reached the KPC area to register their protest.
Press freedom under attack
Karachi Press Club President Fazil Jamili condemned the administration’s actions in a conversation with Voicepk, saying, “We have ongoing discussions with the Karachi administration. They had assured us that they would keep one route open, but they did not do so.”
He termed the move a violation of the fundamental right to peaceful assembly.
“The siege of the Karachi Press Club today is a blatant assault on democratic freedoms. By cordoning off the KPC and barring citizens, including Zulfiqar Bhutto Jr., from protesting the sentencing of Imaan Mazari, authorities are violating the fundamental right to peaceful assembly. The sentence against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha is a serious issue.
We journalists were expressing concerns when PECA was passed that the Act would be misused down the road, and that is exactly what has happened. The sentence against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha has proven this.”
Harsh criticism of judicial verdict
HRCP Sindh Chapter Vice Chairman Qazi Khizar Habib strongly criticized the judicial decision.
“The verdict given to Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha does not seem like a judicial decision to me. This is the kind of decision that is made in jirgas (tribal councils). The decision was made hastily. At this time, the courts are acting as brokers for the establishment.”
Karachi Bar Association Secretary Rahman Korai said, “This is a case where both the decision-maker and the complainant are the government, so I do not accept this sentence. There is so much oppression in the country that it exceeds even that in Palestine. I do not accept such a judicial decision. Hear our petitions in an independent judiciary, conduct free elections, then compete with us.”
Politics of fear and standing with the oppressed
Human rights activist Uzma Noorani also weighed in.
“The powerful in this country are now afraid of a girl’s tweet. Perhaps people had not read that tweet before, but after this, everyone will be curious to read that tweet. The purpose of these sentences is to intimidate people so that no one questions them. Imaan Mazari was sentenced because she stands with the oppressed, she stands with Mahrang Baloch, she supports the downtrodden. That is why they are trying to intimidate her and all of us,” she added.
Alarming situation and growing concerns
Civil society members, human rights workers, and journalists warned that suppressing people’s voices would lead the state into further chaos and the country would face more crises.
It should be noted that on Sunday too, all routes to Karachi Press Club were blocked to prevent a press conference by the Balochistan Yakjehti Committee. Karachi Press Club President Fazil Jamili and HRCP expressed serious concern over the administration’s attempts to stop protests and the closure of internal routes to the Press Club.
The protest on Monday took place in response to last week’s court verdict where human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and activist Hadi Ali Chatha were sentenced for 17 years each under PECA 2016 for posting and reposting tweets deemed objectionable by authorities. The harsh sentences have sparked widespread condemnation from civil society, legal fraternity, and human rights organizations who view the verdict as an attack on freedom of expression and a misuse of the controversial cyber-crime law.