An Islamabad anti-terrorism court granted bail on Tuesday to human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each in a case involving allegations of blocking a road and clashing with police.
Bail Granted in Kohsar Police Station Road-Blocking Case
ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain heard the bail applications on Tuesday, with lawyer Riasat Ali Azad appearing on behalf of the accused.
The First Information Report (FIR) registered at Islamabad’s Kohsar Police Station states that the case stems from a protest in the grounds of the Islamabad Press Club. According to the filing, Imaan and Hadi led a Baloch Student Council protest involving at least 150 demonstrators.
Did You Know? The FIR filed at Kohsar Police Station alleges that protest participants raised anti-state slogans through loudspeakers and megaphones while obstructing police from carrying out their duties under Sections 186, 188, 341, 353, and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Sentencing in the Security Barrier Case
Tuesday’s verdict arrived less than a week after an anti-terrorism court sentenced Imaan and Hadi to 10 years in prison each in a separate case involving the removal of security barriers. That trial, held in jail, centered on a confrontation with traffic police who had barricaded an area in October 2024 to secure the movement of the visiting English cricket team.
In that security barrier judgment, the court cited the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore to reason that removing the barrier put the international team’s security at risk, according to reporting by Dawn. Legal bodies, including the Sindh High Court Bar Association, strongly denounced that conviction, with President Mohammad Haseeb Jamali stating that the criminal justice system must not become an instrument to silence lawyers and human rights activists, as reported by The News Pakistan.
Couple faces rearrest following earlier cybercrime sentences
The legal battles follow earlier convictions involving social media posts. In January, the couple received a combined 17-year sentence on multiple charges linked to controversial posts that prosecutors argued constituted an anti-state narrative under cybercrime laws.
Although the Supreme Court granted bail and suspended those sentences in September, Imaan and Hadi were promptly rearrested on September 17 in connection with the Kohsar Police Station case before being produced before the Islamabad anti-terrorism court.
Court sets bail bond at five thousand rupees
What surety bond amount did the court set for the bail release?
ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain approved the bail applications against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each for both Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha.
What specific charges were listed in the Kohsar Police Station FIR?
The FIR was filed under Sections 186, 188, 341, 353, and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code, accusing the participants of blocking a road, raising anti-state slogans, and obstructing police duties.
When were the couple initially detained in connection with the cricket team security barrier incident?
Capital police arrested Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha in October 2024 after a confrontation with traffic police who had barricaded the area for the English cricket team’s movement.
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