September 26, 2026
HASHIR AHSAN
ISLAMBAD
The case hearing of the non-receipt of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali’s vakalatnamas in the Anti-Terrorism Court, as well as cases involving police assault, took place, where Adiala Jail authorities once again failed to submit the signed documents, while no representative from the jail authorities appeared before the court.
Despite the court order, an internet outage resulted in Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha not being able to be presented even via video link.
The court issued a show-cause notice for contempt of court to the Superintendent of Adiala Jail. The Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, during the hearing, asked, “The Superintendent Jail should answer why he should not be sentenced to six months in prison?” On the occasion, Dr. Shireen Mazari and a large number of other lawyers appeared before the court. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra expressed indignation, stating that the Superintendent Jail should neither push the courts against the wall nor push himself against the wall.
During the hearing, the judge inquired whether on that day he (Deputy Superintendent Jail) had taken their Wakalatnamas from the Session Court.
To this, lawyer Riyasat Ali Azad replied that it was unknown whether he took them from there or not.
“We had submitted the Wakalatnamas in the session court on court orders to be sent to the jail,” and on this occasion, the serial numbers of the Wakalatnamas submitted in the session court were presented before the court.
The court staff informed that Imaan and Hadi were not currently being presented via video link, as jail authorities reported an internet issue.
On this, Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra remarked that in one case there was an internet issue and jail authorities repeatedly reported that the internet was not working properly; earlier, he had ordered PTCL and then NTC to send experts to the jail, and had ordered experts to be sent to the jail from Haripur. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra further added that obtaining Wakalatnamas is a fundamental right of the accused. While issuing show-cause notices for contempt of court, the court adjourned the hearing until Tuesday.
Case details for signing vakalatnama
In the Anti-Terrorism Court No. 1, Islamabad, an application has been filed by the counsels for Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha in FIR No. 276/2025 registered at Police Station Kohsar, Islamabad, praying for appropriate orders under the relevant provisions of law.
In the application, it is stated that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali wish to formally appoint the undersigned as their counsel/lawyer for the post-arrest bail application in the aforementioned case.
It is submitted in the application that since September 18, 2026, the lawyers have made multiple attempts to meet the accused in Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, and to get the Power of Attorney (Wakalatnama) signed by them, where they are currently on judicial remand pursuant to the order of this august court dated September 17, 2026.
Furthermore, an unsuccessful attempt was also made through the court to get the Wakalatnama verified and executed, which is extraordinary and incomprehensible.
According to the application, as the accused are in judicial custody under the orders of this court, the responsibility to protect their rights and to ensure their right to representation through a counsel of their choice lies upon this honorable court.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the court to ensure the execution and verification of the Wakalatnama in favor of the counsel through the jail authorities without any delay and in a timely manner. It is prayed that the court direct the concerned jail authorities to properly execute and verify the accused’s Power of Attorney in favor of the counsel and submit it to the court at the earliest, and grant any other appropriate relief according to the circumstances of the case.
Case Regarding Altercation with Police
According to the FIR registered at Aabpara Police Station against prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chatha for removing barriers during the movement of the New Zealand cricket team, the incident occurred near Zero Point where a high-security route was established in view of the foreign cricket team’s movement.
According to police officials, when the security personnel stopped the traffic, Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha removed the barriers, attempted to forcefully drive their car through, and engaged in a harsh argument with the personnel present on the spot.
According to the police, the New Zealand team holds state guest status, and disrupting the security route could pose a serious threat. Following the incident, the police arrested both after registering a case under charges of interference in official duties and route violation.